14500 Joylites Combo Kit Review
The Joylites 1868 14500 combo kit is a rebuildable atomizer and 14500 mechanical mod in one kit. The Joylite 1868 is not a clone of any device, it is an original product made by Shenzhen Joylite Technology. In the later part of the year the market saw a brief resurgence of the 14500 mechanical with the release of the Nemesis Mini by Atomomixiani, which was followed by its clone. iVOGO took a stab at capitalizing on the success of the Kayfun Mini, and the release of the Nemesis mini clone by creating their own 14500 combo kit with a resized Kayfun mini (17mm) which was released as the iVOGO baby pocket kit.
The Joylites 1868 14500 combo featured in this review was provided by E5cig.com, and it retails on their site for $17.36 USD. The kit is well packaged in a green gift box with a sliding draw, and includes a spare parts package.
JOYLITES 1868 SPECIFICATIONS:
- Thread: 510 thread
- Atomizer: RDA Joytank
- Atomizer capacity: 2.5ml
- Battery tube size: 74.5*16mm(L*D)
- Whole size: 148*16mm(L*D)
- Atomizer resistance: 0.7 Ohm
- Fits for: 700mAh 14500 battery
- Weight: 138g
- Color: Silver
- NOTE: This item does not include battery
Package includes:
- 1* Joylites 1868 Mod battery tube
- 1* RDA Joytank atomzier
- 1* Cross screwdriver
- 1* Cotton
- 1* Heating coil
- 1* User manual
- 1* Gift box
BUILD QUALITY
Out of the package the combo kit appeared to be smaller than the 16mm diameter listed in the item specs and is very light feeling, which could be considered a good thing. The finish has a sort of faux sandblasting, which is most likely a rubberized coating. While I am certain that both the Tank atomizer and the mechanical are metal the items specifications do not indicate the type of metal used.
The 14500 mechanical mod is composed of three parts; the main body tube, a top cap and switch. The main body has the same logo printed on the body that appears on the front of the gift box. Both the top cap and switch do thread on and off the main body with ease. I did however find it a little odd that Joylites chose to print their CE certification on the bottom of the switch.
The top cap has top cut air channels even as the included Tank receives its air flow from the body of the atomizer. The 510 connecting pin is stationary, although there is a spring loaded adjusting battery contact underneath the top cap. The switch is spring loaded with a locking ring that is not reverse threaded and the negative contact appears to be chrome plated. The threads on both the top cap and switch are thoroughly machined and both pieces appear to be well assembled for what it is.
I used a nipple top 14500 IMR battery with the mechanical mod and the battery fitment within the mod is good. There wasn’t any struggle to close up either of the caps. I was surprised to see that the Joylites 14500 mod is the same height as the Nemesis style 14500 mod from Ivogo, because as I stated earlier in and of itself it seemed tiny to the point of being toy like. The Joylites 14500 mod is only 1mm smaller in diameter than the Ivogo 14500, but it also feels lighter in weight.
The Joytank is rather unique in its tank design to say the least. There is an outer tank section that goes over the tiny glass jar and it does not actually hold any E-liquid. The outer tank appears to act as more of a protector to the little glass jar, which is also the juice receptacle. You can see from the photos below that the Joytank comes pre-built and wicked with a cotton. There is also another pre-built coil and extra cotton included in the spare parts package. There are four small air holes at the base of the device which are supposed feed air to the build deck inside the tank.
If the product specs for the Joylite are accurate, I would absolutely recommend that you DO NOT use either the pre-installed, or extra coil included in this package. As per the specs the coil is .7ohm, which is way too low of a resistance to be fired with a 3A rated 14500 battery.
As I went to further break down the tank in order to access the build deck beneath, I was utterly shocked at what I found. The condition of this deck as photographed below is exactly how this device arrived to me. These photos were taken prior to any attempt to install a battery and use this device. I am not quite sure how this happened as I would like to believe that it is known that you cannot dry fire cotton. From the photos you can see that whatever happened, this tank was extensively fired and burned.
I did not even attempt to clean up this torched coil and cotton, because even if I was able to remove all the burnt cotton and coil, there is no way that I would ever use this tank to vape e-liquid with. I was a bit disappointed in the inability to try the Joytank. I was very curious as to whether this tank system could even work effectively .. looks like I will never know.
PERFORMANCE
With the 14500 mod being the only useable aspect of this combo kit, I decided to just use it with another RBA so that I could review its performance as a mechanical mod. In terms of “handling” I was pleasantly surprised by this tiny mech. The switch is light, smooth, and easy, and when the switch is hit the connectivity is instant. Unfortunately good connectivity cannot make up for poor conductivity.
I performed voltage drop tests using a 510 inline meter, and a Taifun GS built to 2.5 ohms, and the results were not good. With a starting voltage of 4.08v, the actual voltage output was 3.22 volts, which is a .80 voltage drop. That is almost one full volt of loss, which was definitely felt in the vape itself. I am certain that the construction and materials used have everything to do with the poor conductivity of this mechanical.
OVERALL
This was a review that was actually over even before it really started. The 14500 mod was an “almost” on the strength of the switch action which was actually very good. However, the materials used to construct this mod are not conducive to an acceptable performance. There was the disastrous condition of the atomizer that I could not use, and the tremendous voltage drop of the mechanical mod which makes it kind of pointless to use. Even if the atomizer had been received in usable condition, the insane voltage of the mechanical mod would have still made for a subpar vape experience. That being said, I cannot recommend this device. Check out this article for information on other vape starter kits.
PROS
Compact size
Cost
Good switch action
CONS
Poor quality assurance
Huge voltage drop
I bought, from my local B&M, which is extremely rare for me, being in TN, in an area where there is just not much to choose from, I generally get everything off the net. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to support my local shop, and I do give them lots of advice, and they’re slowly getting better
But onto my interesting coincidence. I’ve lately been getting into these smaller mods after, awesomely aquire in a GP piccolo, and a MM Teton…I came upon the EXACT same mod and attention. However, they’re being sold under the name “blackcat”. My atty was not burnt, but I rebuilt it due to the crappy build. The atomizer gave very week performance with the mod, but was much improved in taste, and all other aspects when put on the Piccolo. The outer “protective” glass actually came in handy when I dropped it, and the only thing that happened was a superficial crack on the outside glass, a thing that would have been the deathnell to a regular tank. So, despite the crack, I’m still able to vase away with it.
I totally agree that it’s not something I’d recommend. The 14500 mod is weak, and tho resilient, the tank carries very little juice, and to be truthful, building the coil for it is not for anyone who is not experienced…even tho’ it’s basically packaged to appeal to folks just taking their first baby steps up from an ego type e-cig.
Very interesting, thank you for your feedback on this .. I was rather bummed that I didn’t get to try the tank aspect, I was very curious to know if a this could work successfully. I hope viewers will see your comments about it. :)