Joyetech EXCEED NC Review – Break the Mold?
Review: Joyetech EXCEED NC
Manufacturing Quality
One of the usual compromises that most portable pod-style devices such as the Juul make in order to achieve the small form factor desired by most is through the materials used.
Where the current trend points towards the use of lightweight plastic and polycarbonate materials, the Joyetech EXCEED NC goes toward using the tried and trusted zinc alloy as a main material for the chassis, giving the entire kit a good amount of heft not to mention lending a nice premium feel to the overall kit when held in hand.
As for aesthetics, the Joyetech EXCEED NC takes a page from the mechanical mods of old and employs a tubular approach making it easy to hold, regardless of hand size. An integrated 2300mAh battery is used here, so you’re not going to find any notches or hinges marring the clean and streamlined look that the device is trying to achieve (with success).
Like most tube-style devices, the Joyetech EXCEED NC lacks a dedicated display to relay any info and instead relies on a LED indicator hidden beneath the singular button which is used to activate and fire up the mod. If you are someone who also uses 510 oil cartridges and other vapers have reported Yocan Uni Pro is a good place to start.
Flavor Quality
We’re no strangers to Joyetech’s signature Notch coils so we more or less knew what to expect out of this kit. With that said, the Joyetech EXCEED NC outputs a good amount of flavor and vapor, with the performance that rivals that of larger and bulkier devices that use multiple battery setups.
While the atomizer base that comes with the kit is only compatible with Notch coils, a welcome and surprising feature is how the coils support re-wicking for even longer durability and optimum vaping performance.
While we’ve had this particular test unit for only a week, we’ve found flavor production to only taper off after about 5-7 days of regular use. Replacing the cotton wick brings back performance to about 90% before needing another replacement.
Based on this performance we’re pretty confident that each Notch Coil can last about a month before needing outright replacement although your mileage may vary depending on how often you vape and what type of e-liquid you use. The dual slot airflow ring also adds a nice degree of customisability in dialing in your preferred vaping experience depending on how tight or loose you prefer the draw to be.
Power Flexibility
Despite the lack of variable wattage or temperature control options to be found on this kit, the Joyetech EXCEED NC does have a few tricks hiding up its sleeve which help breath a bit of life into how you vape. The device supports vaping in either direct output mode or constant voltage mode.
The main difference between the two is that direct output mode tends to deliver a stronger vape with a freshly charged battery but you can expect vapor output to taper off as battery life dwindles.
Constant voltage, on the other hand, provides a more uniform vaping experience throughout the charge cycle of the integrated battery meaning you’re not going to feel any reduction in vaping performance even as the battery discharges. The only downside to constant voltage is that you won’t get as much of a strong puff with a fresh charge.
Ease of Use
Like most devices that make do without a display or any auxiliary buttons, the Joyetech EXCEED NC features a straightforward and simplistic approach when it comes to initial setup and everyday use. Simply charge up the device with the included charging cable and turn it on with five clicks on the firing button. Switching between direct output and constant voltage modes is just as easy but needs to be done from a powered off state.
The included atomizer and Notch coil comes pre-wicked so you won’t have to worry about dealing with that straight out of the box. Rewicking the Notch coil with a fresh batch of cotton is easy enough thanks to the spacious build deck and horizontal orientation of the coil itself. Filling the 2.5ml tank is a breeze thanks to the top fill mechanism that easily slides open to refill the large fill ports which should accommodate almost any sized e-liquid bottle.
Portability
With the dimensions of the Joyetech EXCEED NC measuring out to a diameter of 22mm and a total height of 127.5mm (tank included), bringing the device around isn’t an issue at all neither is slipping it into your pocket, bag or purse.
The integrated 2100mAh battery does a great job of supplying power throughout an entire day of moderate to heavy use and you’ll hardly ever feel like the output is lacking even towards the end of the day which is the time most batteries tend to give out.
Also, charging downtime is minimal requiring only an average of 2 hours to be hooked up to an outlet, making the Joyetech EXCEED NC an ideal vaping solution for those always on the go.
Overall Experience
While the Joyetech EXCEED NC doesn’t necessarily do anything to break the mold when it comes to tube-style smart mechanical mods, it still manages to tick most of the right boxes when it comes to what you should be looking for in a good quality vape. Aside from the great build quality, vaping performance is pretty much all you can ask for with an easy to use and portable setup like this.
The ability to easily replace the cotton wick at a moments notice is a great feature to have especially if you’re the type who doesn’t want to spend too much on replacement coil heads.