The Espion Tour is the latest release in a series of devices from Joyetech. If you’re not familiar with the Espion line the name Espion in French actually means spy and all of the devices released in the line so far have had a James Bond-esque sort of look to them, ok so maybe not the Espion Infinite but for the most part the line has basically held true to a certain look. Unlike previous incarnations the Espion Tour is made almost entirely of plastic. Ok so the Espion Silk was also made of plastic but it had unique silicone rubber pads all around the exterior which really changed its look and feel. While the Tour being made of regular plastic does take away a bit from the aesthetics of the device I’m sure it will be more resistant to scratches and wear and will likely cost significantly less to produce.

Package contents:

1 x ESPION Tour (no cell) 1 x CUBIS Max atomizer 2 x CUBIS Max atomizer 1 x QC USB cable 2 x Manual 1 x Warranty card 2 x Warning card 1 x Spare parts

Listed features and specs:

Size: 48.0*33.0*140.0mm Weight: 147.5g (no cell) Colous: Black, White, Red, Green, Blue Battery: dual high rate 18650 cells (CDR ≥ 25A) E-liquid capacity: 5.0ml Heater: Joyetech NCFilmTM heater (Kanthal 0.25ohm, 35-45w) Screen: 0.96-inch OLED display Output: 0.96-inch OLED display Modes: POWER/TEMP(NI/TI/SS)/TCR Resistance range: 0.05-1.5ohm for TEMP/TCR mode Max charging current: 0.05-1.5ohm for TEMP/TCR mode Max output current: 48A Max output voltage 8V

Packaging and contents:

The kit comes packed in two separate dark coloured boxes held together with an outer sleeve. It’s quite a big box altogether but I’m not sure if what I got would be the same as final packaging as it was labeled Sample. In the box with the mod you get the Espion Tour mod, a user manual, a warranty card, a warning card and a box containing a micro USB cable. In the box with the Cubix max you get the Cubis Max tank, a spare NCFilmTM heater, a user manual, a warranty card, a warning card and pack of spares which includes some orings and some spare screws. It’s a fairly well stocked kit and pretty much includes everything you’d need to get started.

The mod:

The Espion Tour somewhat returns to its roots embracing a more subdued even inconspicuous look compared to the two previous Espion entries which falls more in line with the whole James Bond theme the series began with. I got the all black version but it’s available in a white, green, red and blue but it looks like the body of the device remains black with only the face plate and battery door being coloured on the other versions. It’s a rectangular shaped mod but the front and back sort of bulge out a bit to give it a little more character and also make it more comfortable to hold. On both the front and back there are little grooves molded in to the plastic which add a bit of grip but also adds some much needed aesthetics. It’s a dual battery mod that uses 18650 batteries and to swap batteries you pop off the back battery cover and pop them in. The battery tray is marked for positive and negative and although there is no ribbon included to take the batteries out I haven’t had any issues removing or installing them. The battery door is held in place with three strong magnets, two at the top and one at the bottom with a little fingernail cutout on the bottom to help remove it. They do a good job of keeping the door in place and at least on mine there isn’t any wiggle or play to it.

At the top of the mod it’s got a pretty standard looking stainless steel 510 connection with a spring loaded gold plated 510 center pin. The top and bottom of the device measure 28mm but as I mentioned the middle bulges out to 33mm so it’ll accommodate atomizers up to 28mm like the included Cubis Max but anything beyond that might have a bit of overhang. Down the face of the mod is the 0.96″ OLED screen. It’s super simple and displays the usual information like Wattage or Temp(depending on mode), Mode,Rresistance, Voltage, Amps and two little battery bars on the bottom. Just below the screen are the adjustment buttons, it’s actually a single rocker style button where pressing up equals + and pressing down equals -. It increments in 0.1 steps up to 20W and then increments by 1. It’s quite firm and clicky without any sort of rattle or play. Just below the adjustment buttons is the micro USB port for charging and firmware updates. It charges at a max of 2A so recharging should be relatively quick but at the time of this review there weren’t any updates available. It also supports pass-though vaping so you can vape while it charges. The fire button is located on one of the sides of the device and is large and oblong in shape. It too is nice and clicky without any rattle and is easy to find and fire with either the index or the thumb.

Using the device is pretty simple and will feel familiar to almost anyone who’s used a Joyetech device in the past. Five clicks turns it on and off while three clicks gets you in to the main menu. In the menu you’ve got options for Mode, Settings, Info and Exit. Mode lets you select between VW, TC and TCR with TC having options for Ni, Ti and SS. Settings gives you options to lock/unlock the resistance, set max power for TC, turn on/off stealth mode, chose what subparameter is displayed on the main screen(Puff, time, amp), set a preheat, enable/disable the logo as well as set a timeout value for the screen. All of the functions and features we’re used to seeing with a Joyetech device. It also performs as I would expect it hitting all of the usual benchmarks I tested it against.

The tank:

The tank that comes with the kit is called the Cubis Max, it’s a follow up to their original Cubis but it’s grown up quite a bit from the original. I’ve already reviewed the tank as it’s the same one that shipped with the Ultex T80. The Cubis max uses a new type of coil that Joyetech refers to as NCFilmTM heater tech which is supposed to last upwards of three months without needing replacement. It looks like a little miniature grill that sits in the bottom of the tank over a bed of cotton. It sits flat compared to traditional coils but it manages to put out some decent vapour production as well as some good flavour.

It’s a 28mm diameter tank so it’s pretty beefy but it matches up well with the Tour. It’s top fill with a slide to open lid that’s easy to use and relatively mess free. The kidney shaped fill hole is a bit small for such a big tank but I haven’t really had any issues with topping it up. It holds a very comfortable 5ml of liquid and comes with a spare glass should any accidents occur. It’s also top airflow meaning the air comes in from the top which will also make it much more leak resistant and in my time with it not once have I experienced any leaking from the tank. Using and maintaining the tank is simple and to replace the cotton you simply unscrew the bottom cover, remove the ceramic plate and replace the little square of cotton. You can also access the NCFilmTM heater from there if it needs replacing but it should last quite a long time before needing to be swapped out.

Overall:

Joyetech are quite well known for the quality of gear and kits that they produce and the Espion Tour is no exception. The new NCFilmTM heater tech is an interesting technology that I’d like to see developed even further. While I do feel that the device being made entirely of plastic takes away slightly from the quality feel of it I still think it’s a well put together kit that should work for both new and seasoned vapers alike.