The Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus review and this is an AIO pod kit that requires a single external 18650 battery thanks to an increase in available wattage.
It’s an increase of 40W over it’s siblings, the Exceed Grip and the Exceed Grip Pro which both feature an integrated (built in) 1000mah battery.
The Shenzen based manufacturer has been at the forefront of the vaping industry since 2007. Realizing that this is a rapidly transforming industry they include themselves as being part of “the epicentre of this global transformation”.
Being responsible for humble starter kits such as the Joyetech eGO AIO ECO kit and the eRoll MAC Simple kit, they’re no strangers when it comes to dealing with the basic requirements of a new vaper.
In fact the OG Exceed D19 was a pen style device.
What Can We Expect From The Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus?
Joyetech has moved forward to offer the new vaper something a little more powerful. It still retains the general ease of use its starter pens provide.
It also retains the side loading pod or cartridge of its two forerunners.
We can expect the Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus to offer the user a device free from the constraints of an internal power source.
A patented side airflow slider on the side of the pod allows for easy adjusting to suit personal vaping styles.
The two included coils have been designed to appeal to the mouth to lung vaper as well as those preferring a semi restrictive direct lung approach.
Personally, I don’t know what to expect. Pods that can actually perform a satisfactory MTL vape seem few and far between in my opinion.
I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised, and there’s only one way to find out.
Let’s get to grips with this one.
Inside The Box
For those new to the vaping scene this product uses an external 18650 battery, you won’t find one in the box.
Please always, always purchase from reputable vendors – Samsung, Sanyo, LG, Molicel and Golisi are good ones to use.
- Exceed Grip Plus battery
- EZ cartridge (pod)
- EZ 0.4ohm coil
- EZ 1.2ohm coil
- 510 drip tip
- USB C charging cable
- User manual
- Warranty Card
Specifications
- Dimensions 91mm x 44.2mm x 21.4mm
- Weight (excluding packaging) approximately 148g
- Pod capacity 2ml/2.6ml
- Atomizer resistances 1.2ohm and 0.4ohm (pre installed)
- Output mode variable wattage
- Wattage range 1 – 80W
- Battery external 18650 (not included)
- Maximum charging current 5V/2.A
- Resistance range 0.15 – 3.0ohm
Unlike the Joyetech Exceed Grip Pro, here you are restricted to minimalist black and white monotone patterns. These are Black, Geometry, Street Art, Swing Zebra and Web (under review).
The EZ cartridge appear to comply to TPD regulations but there also appears to be a 2.6ml capacity available.
Features
- 80W max output
- Patented side airflow incorporating a simple slide control
- Two proprietary EZ coils, one for MTL vaping and one for DTL vaping
- Type C USB charging
- 0.96in OLED colour screen
- Smart mode – auto selects best output for each EZ coil
Design and Build Quality
The Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus has a very reassuring weight when clutched in the hand.
Even before slipping an 18650 battery inside it feels solid, making the device feel strong and robust.
Without the drip tip, the height of the battery is 78.3mm. Both the body and panels of the device are made of a zinc alloy material.
Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus Battery Section
There’s a minor degree of sandy roughness to the patterned panels which prevents the device from slipping from the hand.
It’s the Grip…it’s gonna be grippy lol.
The type C USB charging port has been mounted below the rocker which will allow charging in a vertical position.
I don’t personally endorse charging an 18650 battery via USB but not everyone has an external charger.
The only real concern I have is there appears to be no battery venting anywhere on the device.
I would have expected to find some on the base or maybe the fixed panel.
On the front at the top is a sensibly sized rectangular fire button that’s very tactile and responsive.
The same applies to the menu rocker switch located below the 0.96in OLED colour screen.
Talking of that screen, let’s insert an 18650 battery and have a run down on the menu functions.
- Use a finger nail to release the removable battery door.
- Insert the 18650 battery with the positive terminal facing uppermost
- Replace the removable battery door ensuring it clicks firmly into place
How To Navigate The Menu Functions
It’s the usual five clicks of the fire button to switch on or off.
- Press the fire button three times to lock/unlock the device
- Press both menu function buttons together to enter the settings interface
The settings interface will allow you to adjust the coil to its optimal setting.
There’s the option of looking at a seven day history of your vaping habits (puffs), and adjust the colour scheme to suit your preferences and restore the device to factory settings.
As far as settings are concerned that’s about it. This is a no nonsense interface very much designed with a relatively new vaper in mind.
Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus Removable Panel
I found the panel to be extremely strong with no bending when applying pressure.
So although wafer thin it’s a deceptively solid design.
Four magnets hold the door to the battery allowing it to snap firmly into place with zero rattle or vertical/horizontal movement – highly impressive!
One thing I did notice however was that one of the magnets was becoming loose in its housing.
Remembering that this is a sample product we can overlook that.
Hopefully quality control will jump to attention upon release of the retail version.
Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus Battery Sled
The single 18650 battery is inserted with the positive terminal facing the top of the device.
The gold plated negative contact at the base of the sled has very little give and is quite hard to depress.
That makes for a very snug and secure battery connection and again, zero battery rattle. Awesome stuff!
Remember to make use of that generous ribbon though! You’re not getting that battery out very easily without it!
Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus EZ Cartridge
This cartridge/pod reminds me very much of the Aspire Mulus pod kit.
Instead of clipping inside the battery section billet box style the EZ cartridge slides into the side of the battery.
This allows for complete exposure of remaining juice levels through the almost clear PCTG plastic.
The dimensions of the cartridge are 41.8×20.9×13.7 mm.
There’s only one way of sliding the EZ cartridge into place and you have to ensure that the slider fits on the same side as the removable battery door.
Make sure that the coil is facing down too. Not that it had me perplexed in any way! Lol.
It’s not a very labour intensive job and actually fits a treat. There’s no wriggle room and it’s highly unlikely to dislodge unless dropped from height.
The adjustable airflow slide mechanism is buttery smooth and has 4.5mm of adjustable area to play around with. How this translates to effective airflow balancing we shall see shortly.
Despite the silicone stopper of the juice port being side mounted it’s not very user friendly. You may find yourself reaching for a tool to open it.
The opening on the fill port itself is 6mm so there’s enough space to cater for most nozzle variants out there.
How To Install The EZ Coil And Filling The EZ Cartridge With E-liquid
It’s plug and play time again, folks.
- Slide the EZ cartridge out of the battery section by pulling back and out
- Push the EZ coil up and into the base of the EZ cartridge
- Open the silicone stopper of the fill port
- With the EZ cartridge on its side, gently administer e-liquid through the fill port taking care not to overfill
- Replace the silicone stopper
- Ensure the airflow slide mechanism is on the same side as the removable door. Slide the EZ cartridge back into the side of the battery
It’s always advisable to prime any coil prior to installing. You can do this by applying a few drops directly onto the wicking ports. Alternatively run a few drops down and inside the opening of the coil.
Once the cartridge has been filled with e-liquid leave the juice to soak for a good five minutes prior to vaping.
How Does The Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus Perform?
I began by testing the 0.4ohm mesh EZ prebuilt coil, and it’s designed to work best between 20-32W.
0.4ohm Mesh EZ Coil (Best 20-32W)
There’s plenty of surface area to the mesh strip which should hopefully boost flavour and cloud production.
The four wicking ports should also be able to deal with soaking up thicker juice ratios.
The juice of choice was Zeus Juice Death By Bunny, a strawberry cheesecake ditty that’s freebase nicotine with a 70VG/30PG ratio.
With the device set to 28W I opened the airflow slider right up.
Jumping jelly beans! This coil really chucks the clouds. I honestly wasn’t expecting that. Plenty of density and lots of volume.
There’s zero turbulence and the vape is very smooth. It’s maybe a little noisy but hardly intrusive. Airflow restriction is at a minimum on this setting.
I have to say the flavour quality is fantastic. The creaminess of the profile is instantly recognizable and the strawberry is pretty much the quality I expect from sub ohm tanks.
Slip Sliding Away
Pushing the airflow slider to mid position has a radical effect on the airflow.
As expected, this now becomes a much quieter vape with none of the flavour quality diminishing which is awesome. A semi restrictive vape is where I’m normally happiest and that’s what I get.
It is possible to reduce the airflow down further with the slider but it lacks precision when trying to find a mouth to lung vape. Since this coil is designed for a direct lung vape that’s really no biggie.
I would suggest either leaving the airflow slider in the wide open position or knocked down around half way for optimal results.
This mesh coil is extremely impressive and responded very well to chain hitting/vaping.
The chances are you’ll be able to use anything up to an 80VG/20PG ratio but don’t push any higher with the VG than this.
1.2ohm Round Wire EZ Coil (Best 7-13W)
Moving on to the EZ coil designed with a mouth to lung vape in mind.
I opted for a thinner 50VG/50PG juice ratio for these much narrower wicking ports, Wick Liquor Boulevard Shattered nicotine salt.
It’s Just A Slide To The Left
The first test carried out saw me vaping with airflow wide open. This is definitely a restrictive lung hit, no doubt about that.
Again the flavour quality produced was outstanding, the element of raspberry, Malibu and fruit all shone through vibrantly.
Cloud production, as expected was reduced considerably given the extra restriction of the coil build. This makes it very appealing for those requiring a discreet vape.
As far as a mouth to lung vape? It’s just far too airy to work, I’m afraid.
..And Then A Slide To The Right
Moving the slider to mid airflow and the it now becomes possible to MTL hit this coil. Again however, it’s still quite loose.
I cannot personally vape like this. It feels somewhere in between the two styles of vaping. Neither way is particularly appealing.
You tend to lose far too much flavour and the vapour ends up in no mans land.
The tiniest opening on the slider will finally get you that mouth to lung experience but nowhere approaching that found on a fixed airflow set up.
Throughout all airflow tests the flavour remained on par. The inhale was incredibly smooth, as with the 0.4ohm mesh coil and slightly less noisy.
After eight hours extensive use the battery was reading 95%!! Top drawer stuff. A superb coil and incredibly resourceful to boot.
Pros
- A leak free cartridge/pod
- Exemplary flavour and cloud performance from the 0.4ohm EZ mesh coil
- On screen recommended output parameters
- Remains pocket friendly despite the added weight of the 18650 battery
- Fantastic battery life. Especially with the 1.2ohm EZ coil installed
Cons
- The silicone stopper is a bugger to use!
- Auto resetting wattage (smart mode) after each refill may be an annoyance
- Slide mechanic can be over sensitive, altering preferred vape style on the fly
- Fire button could be positioned a little lower (subjective con)
Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus Final Thoughts
The addition of an 18650 battery certainly adds to the weight of this device. The build quality is extremely good, and it’s more suited to a trouser pocket than a shirt pocket.
Fingers On Buttons
If I’m being picky, I would have liked to see the fire button lowered slightly. Why? Because the middle of my finger is in constant contact with my nose lol!
Of course by thumb firing this minor issue is instantly resolved. I happen to be one of the laziest vapers out there. For me, old habits die hard.
Stop It With The Stoppers
I’m not a fan of the silicone stopper. It’s one of the worst I’ve encountered on a pod based system. With so many devices on the market this really shouldn’t be an issue now.
I’m afraid that one is indeed a negative Neil moment.
And The Chip Says..?
Keep in mind that the chip will constantly reset wattage values to what it believes is correct after replacing the cartridge. So for example, I found 28W to be the ideal setting for the 0.4ohm coil.
After refilling the chip reset the output to 26W. That’s just something to be aware of.
This may be something of a con to some but personally I think it’s another great way of protecting the external 18650 battery and the lifespan of the coil itself.
On A Slippery Slope
The airflow slider mechanic does work and has shown to be very effective offering different airflow properties. There are occasions when it will slide on its own accord. When placing in a pocket, for example.
Inevitably it will come into contact with juice making it extra sensitive. This does lead to the odd moment of frustration…
One minute you’re enjoying a restrictive direct lung vape the next trying to suck a golf ball through a garden hose lol!
With the slider being so accessible though, I didn’t find it much of an issue.
Display
In direct sunlight you will struggle to make sense of the lower half of the display. The current wattage and battery indicator icon are generally visible.
On the subject of the display the screen times out after 30 seconds of inactivity. This may seem quite a long period but hardly a drop in the lithium ocean for an 18650 external battery.
Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus Overall Coil Performance
The 0.4ohm mesh EZ coil has got to be one of the best I’ve encountered to date, it never skipped a beat.
The flavour held up for days on end, remaining consistent with flavour notes spilling out all over the place.
The cloud production was also phenomenal. Dense with plenty of volume literally tumbling out and providing the throat with a nice kick during the exhale.
I found it to be flawless and has most certainly rekindled my faith in pre-made coils designed for pod based systems.
The 1.2ohm round wire EZ coil was equally as impressive, providing a multitude of flavour notes with the expected reduction in vapour output.
Unfortunately I didn’t quite find it worked as a true MTL vape. I spent most of the time vaping in a restrictive direct lung style.
Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus Final Review Verdict
I’m blown away by the Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus! It’s an amazing little AIO device.
In terms of aesthetics it is very pleasing on the eye. The way the display reads the recommended parameters for the coils is an awesome touch.
As much as many coils now have these recommendations printed on the coil they can sometimes be difficult to read.
The board even suggests where to start looking for the sweet spot once the cartridge is installed. This makes it an ideal companion to anyone relatively new to all things vape.
It acts as a helping hand and that’s a vital factor in keeping folk off the cigs, so well played Joyetech.
Quality flavour production is another important factor when making the transition.
Again, Joyetech has come up trumps with two perfectly manufactured EZ coils. Both coils were still performing well after a week of use with no loss of taste detected.
The only caveat is that the 1.2ohm coil is not the best at reproducing a true MTL vape – Joyetech are far from the only offenders on that issue though.
An RBA section is available and I would love to get my mitts on that!
So, overall the Joyetech Exceed Grip Plus has brought me much joy while using.
Have you got your eye on this one?
If you have any questions ask away in the comments below!
I’m highly impressed. Exceedingly good stuff!
