Review: iJoy Asolo

As I've mentioned before, my time to write has been quite limited lately. Luckily, vaping giraffes have vaping friends too, and one of them, Chris Stian Orvik, agreed to do a guest review. So without further introduction, here's the first ever guest review on this blog, actually I think it's the first guest post as well. Big thanks to Chris for this :)

First impressions

It’s a small, slightly rounded but still quite square box, with clicky buttons with no audible rattling sound when you shake it. Battery compartment is at the bottom, with a slide-on door with magnets. No USB port to be seen, so no on-board charging, and no future upgrades to the chip or software. The finish is quite slippery, so it’s a good thing they included stickers with some texture to them for the side panels.

It’s really small compared to other dual battery 18650 mods; see picture comparison with an iStick 100W.

What’s in the box?

• 1x iJoy Asolo 200w 
• 1x Ego adaptor (a little unsure as to why, but hey) 
• 1x Warranty Card 
• 1x User Manual 
• 2x Stickers (for the side panels) 
• 1x Silicone sleeve (colors may vary)

In use

Using the device in wattage mode is quite straightforward; you just turn on the device with the usual 5 clicks, set your wattage, and vape away. The display is clear and bright, and gives you the regular readouts like wattage, ohm, voltage and a puff-counter. It also shows you the amperage you are drawing from your batteries, a nice bonus.

It brags about its 200w, but according to other reviewers, it fires a bit on the low side. You also have to be in a specific ohm range to reach its full potential.

Around 0,2 ohms is where you have to be to get it to this range. (See Pbusardos review on youtube for more numbers) The compatible resistance ranges are quite standard, see above.

If you want the device to operate in TC mode, install your TC compatible coil, press the bottom part of the t-shaped button three times. This brings up a sub menu, where you can select Ni or Ti, choose the right material, set your temperature, and vape. In Fahrenheit mode you can regulate the device from 300-600 degrees, in Celsius it ranges from 150 to 315 degrees. So nothing really special about that, except like many other mods, you don’t have to set the resistance. What IS special about this box is their attempt at Temperature Control on any type of coil. Well, that’s not exactly what it is, but it kind of works quite well. What they do is taste control. In this mode the display gives you some extra readouts; namely an E-liquid indicator, a thermometer and temperature percentage.

So, you put in your standard coil, whether it’s a tank or an RDA. Make sure it’s well saturated and give it a few puffs on your preferred wattage in regular wattage mode. Several puffs of at least 2 seconds are required for the device to “learn” your preferred vaping style. Now you can adjust your percentage to regulate the device from hotter to cooler if you like. It goes from 80-110% of your original wattage from when you were training the device. If you have issues with the device cutting off way too early, put it back in wattage mode and give it some more training. So, not really temperature control as we know it, where you set your temp and puff away, but it kind of works. It seems, the more you train the device, the better the taste control function works. Under testing, I managed to burn my cotton at least a couple of times, but mostly just to test, as I would re-drip or re-fill long before normally. Also, the more time you give the device time to learn, the better it performs. I’ve tested the taste control function on SS316L, and it seems to work even better with that material, it could be because it changes resistance a lot more than kanthal, but this is pure speculation from my side. One gripe I have with the device is its coil detection function; it’s just a bit on the sensitive side. This results in the device asking you if you installed a new coil every other minute if you use a material that changes its resistance. Not a big deal, but if you mindlessly try to vape without checking the display, you might be surprised by the lack of vapor.

Pros

• Small size (especially for a dual 18650) 
• Temperature control for Ni and Ti plus Taste Control 
• Clear, easy to read display 
• Nice spring loaded 510 connection 

Cons

• The mod itself has sharpish edges. 
• Ask if it’s a new coil a bit too frequently 
• 5-press on/off can be a bit inaccurate 
• No USB-charging or firmware upgrade capabilities 

All in all it’s a nice little dual 18650 box, with temperature control and taste control, but I would not recommend this to fresh eyed newbies, but to the medium to advanced vapers.

Big thanks to gearbest.com for sending this box for review.

Disclosure:

• All my reviews are my (or my guest-reviewer's) honest opinion even if I am affiliated with the company manufacturing or selling the product. 
• The device was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.
• This review does not contain affiliate links.