Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend – at least according to jewelry commercials. But what about vapers? That’s exactly what iJOY is hoping to be true with the all-new iJOY Diamond PD270 Mod Kit – a large, powerful, dual-20700 battery mod designed to balance strength with beauty.

And for the most part, it does the job. However, a few quirks keep the iJOY Diamond PD270 off the top shelf of the display case, away from the premier devices in this category.

Let’s take a closer look to see if this mod is a diamond in the rough, or a new jewel for your collection.

Note* – The iJoy Diamond Starter Kit, with its includes Captain X3S Vape Tank was given to two of our top reviewers. Neither one knew the other was writing “the” review for Spinfuel VAPE. In fact, neither one know another reviewer was writing a review for this starter kit. When the reviews came in they were surprisingly similar, yet each reviewer has very different likes and dislikes in vaping instruments. As the editor I made the decision to publish both reviews in an effort to demonstrate, once again, that regardless of the outcome of any review of any product, truth will out.  iJoy has produced some excellent gear, and not so excellent gear over the past couple of years. The iJoy Diamond just isn’t one of the good ones. At least, not when faced with such stiff competition by Vaporesso, and others. – Dave Foster

iJOY isn’t shy about making oversized Mods, and the Diamond is no exception. Obviously, the larger batteries necessitate a more substantial device, but the Diamond just seems broader and thicker than most Mods in this category – even the already-sizable Genie and Captain Kits.

That said, the Diamond is also extremely lightweight, to the point where it almost feels hollow. Even with batteries installed, the Mod never gives off a sense of durability and strength. While I was fortunate to not drop the Diamond during testing (something that’s been happening a LOT to me lately), I’m not 100% confident how it would handle a stiff drop to the pavement.

But there’s no denying the stark beauty of the iJOY Diamond Kit. With beveled cuts, similar to the facets of an actual diamond, the Mod is beautiful when free of fingerprints and scuffs. My glossy black test Model perfectly balanced jewel-like precision and refreshingly simple, unadorned design. Though it IS a fingerprint magnet, the Diamond still manages to capture the light nicely, and will be equally enjoyed by those who want flash, and those who prefer a subtler design aesthetic.

(I should mention that when choosing other base colors, the black diamond-cut front panel tends to “pop” a little more than it did on my black/black test Model.)

The center-mounted display remains a solid, if unspectacular addition to the Diamond. Though this bright, legible display does a good job delivering pertinent info – battery life, wattage/temperature/voltage, puff counter, etc. – without getting in the way, the digital readout is getting a little long in the tooth.

It’s hard to tell how much longer iJOY plans to utilize this pedestrian screen (not to mention the IWEPAL chipset) but for a Mod being positioned as a flagship device, it was a little underwhelming.

The rest of the Diamond’s presentation is fairly standard. The center-mounted 510 connection is press-fit, but seemingly solid, and none of my test tanks had any issues sitting flush on the spring-loaded pin. Likewise, the diamond-shaped fire key is firm and clicky, and offers a similar throw to iJOY’s traditional oversized fire buttons.

One of my biggest problems with the iJOY Diamond PD270 Mod is the loose, rattle-prone battery door, which is equally fidgety with or without cells installed. PLUS, when using the included 18650 adapter sleeves, the door suddenly becomes too snug, and never sits quite right on the Mod.

One nice benefit from the size is that the 33.5mm depth means all but the largest tanks and atomizers will sit on the Diamond without overhang. As atomizers get wider, this was a forward-thinking choice – in an industry that doesn’t usually think too far ahead.

As mentioned above, the iJOY Diamond PD270 is powered by the proven IWEPAL chipset, which has shown itself to be a strong, efficient board that ramps quickly. And, just like it did on the Genie and the Captain Mods, it delivers. With 234 (can’t squeeze one more?) watts of straight power, full temperature control capabilities, TCR settings, full protection suite and more, I can see why iJOY is sticking with the system.

Because it seems to share a lot of lineage (not to mention look and feel) with the Vaporesso Revenger, operating the iJOY Diamond was strikingly familiar. On a physical level, the larger size and format makes the Diamond a little unwieldy when operating with one hand, especially with the increased distance between the operation and fire keys.

That said, the menu system we’ve come to love continues to be user-friendly and functional, with a straightforward set of option tiers to keep button presses to a minimum. But I would have STRONGLY preferred an action/enter button rather than the tired long press/click system, mostly because the Mod is already so large and unwieldy without having to handle finger gymnastics to set a resistance lock.

I know I’ve done a lot of griping about these buttons and systems, but in 2018, more companies need to move toward this standard, and the operating systems need to follow suit.

We’ve reviewed countless variations of the Captain series of tanks, to largely mixed results. The shorter, stouter X3S is similarly erratic, showing us some occasional highs and frequent lows during our testing.

On the plus side, the Captain X3S uses the same X-series coils as its bigger brother, and they work about as well as we remember. The Diamond Kit includes the pre-installed 0.4-ohm X3-C1 dual coil, and the 0.3-ohm X3-C2 head. Both coils have similar wattage ranges, similar longevity, and similar flavor performance. That is to say, nothing spectacular, but nothing offensive either.

Of the two included coils, the new X3-C2 lasted a hair longer – roughly one more day of steady vaping – but also had a more muted, less vibrant flavor output, even after a steady break-in period using a bright, layered e-liquid. The X3-C1 was better in offering flavor, but after just a day of use, I already began to see a degradation in vape quality, and by five days, the vapor production was stale and limp.

I expected flavor to stand out more, given the smaller height of the tank, but in reality, it’s just “there” … if you get the Diamond as part of a Kit, the Captain X3S is an adequate backup tank for road trips and emergencies. But there are simply too many better options on the market to recommend anyone buy the X3S as a standalone tank.

I’m unhappy to report that the 234-watt maximum proved to be a little more than the Diamond could handle, even with two 20700 batteries installed. While I occasionally hit the max, the Mod itself became uncomfortably hot to the touch, and the protection suite kicked in more than once when trying to hit these elevations.

On more-reasonable wattages, the Diamond PD270 was much better, with smooth ramping, distinct puff power and preheat settings, and mostly error-free performance. When taking the Diamond above 100 watts for extended periods forced the occasional temperature warnings, but these seemed more like errors than anything else. I’m confident a firmware upgrade can rectify this.

In temperature control, I experienced several concerns. Most concerning was how the Diamond simply wouldn’t recognize Ni200 coils. Using no fewer than four different RTAs, nickel simply wouldn’t read. However, when entering the proper TCR settings for Ni200, the Diamond worked beautifully. Other wire types were flawless, with outstanding performance in all levels, steady resistances, very little jumping and the like. But nickel enthusiasts should take this into consideration before laying down money for this Kit.

One final note, even when using high-amp 20700 cells, the iJOY Diamond offered below average battery life, with 3-4 hours (at most) of Moderate vaping before having to swap or recharge. Switching to 18650s showed no variance in performance, making me wonder if the 20700s are even viable for this category of Mod.

This Starter Kit from iJoy is Available Now at Element Vape

Sadly, though it does some things really well, I didn’t love the iJOY Diamond Mod Kit. The hollow feel, loose battery door, poor tank, and antiquated controls seemed out of place on a flagship-type Mod. And the quirky power limitations and temp control missteps seem equally unforgivable in 2018.

If you’re buying strictly for design and looks, the iJOY Diamond certainly looks the part. But, like so many things wrapped in diamonds today, the overall experience is very shallow indeed.

iJOY Diamond Mod: C+

iJOY Captain X3S tank: C-

Overall Kit score: C-