Joyetech Cuboid Lite – Exceed D22 – Kit Review

Joyetech Cuboid Lite Kit – It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to review a bona fide mouth-to-lung kit, much less one that had such a modern look.

Now, it should be said that calling this an “MTL Kit” is a bit misleading – the device goes to 80 watts, and one of the two included coils is 0.5-ohms, labeled as a direct lung performer. But that’s not entirely the case. Let’s see why…

Opening up the relatively understated white box, users will find a decent array of goodies, including the Cuboid Lite 80-watt box mod, the new Exceed D22 tank, two coils, an extended pipe for larger capacity, spare 3.5 mL glass section, USB cable, manuals, warranties and another bag of o-rings, screws, and all those niceties.

The Cuboid Lite is akin to its predecessor in name only. Despite the bright, sharp 1.45-inch front screen that mimics the larger Pro, the Lite is NOT a touchscreen device. Instead, that screen just there, clear as a bright spring day, and as useful as a cold winter night. Make no mistake, it’s beautiful. But it largely serves as a pretty distraction, rather than anything functional or unique.

The front of the device is largely occupied by the screen, but the up/down controls sit adjacent to the display, and both had a solid click, with immediate response. No complaints here.

The mod itself is just 67mm tall, making it well shorter and more compact than most 80-watt boxes. Yet the internal battery is rated at an impressive 3,000 mAh – and it largely lives up to that capacity expectation.

The firing bar comprises an entire side of the Cuboid Lite, and has a firm, clicky throw – surprisingly stiff for such a diminutive device. I was happy with how reliable and secure the device seemed in the pocket, but some might be turned off by such a sturdy throw on a miniature mod.

The top of the Cuboid Lite is wide enough to handle most 25mm atomizers, and has a solid press-fit connection that doesn’t appear to be too flimsy. Using five different 25mm tanks, each sat flush with no wobble, and only one showing any type of gap.

Finally, the side-mounted USB port can be used for both firmware upgrades and 2-amp charging. The bottom of the device featured a minute amount of venting, and an interesting “reset” button, which I thankfully did not have to engage.

The Cuboid Lite features an 80-watt power mode, and a full suite of temperature control options, including customized TCR settings. Strangely, the mod also has a bypass mode, which allows users to fire with reckless abandon for raw, unregulated power. A nice feature on complex mods for advanced vapers, but perhaps a little unwise for such a beginner-focused device.

In power and bypass modes, the up/down controls adjust the wattage in 0.1-watt increments, which accelerate (rapidly) when held down. In temperature control, adjustments are made in single-degree increments, with a 600-degree Fahrenheit limit. Again, all extremely responsive and easy to use.

The 2-amp charging is extremely fast, with the Cuboid Lite charging from empty to full in just upwards of two hours. Please note, I don’t recommend trying to vape while charging, as the Cuboid Lite becomes extremely hot when plugged to a USB.

However, the Cuboid Lite does have some more advanced features in its beginner framework. A highly responsive preheat function which vastly improved the otherwise laggy firing. Likewise, the coil-saving power limit feature is a nice addition that could potentially serve as extra protection against random spikes or pocket fires.

Finally, stealth, timeout and screen protection options are nice finds and help round out the package.

One feature that is downright silly, however, is the “nicotine intake calculation” option. By visiting this menu option, then entering your current nicotine level, the device will attempt to calculate your daily consumption. With a happy/sad emoji indicator letting users know they’ve crossed a certain threshold, it’s a wildly off-kilter attempt at controlling intake, and about as effective as a puff counter.

With all the vaping industry has learned about nicotine science, it’s bizarre that one of the original vape companies would attempt to be “conscious” and “aware” in such a misguided way. The feature doesn’t seem to record wattage, temperature, puff length, active vs. idle time, or a million other variables that could skew this number. Disappointing and unnecessary.

Throughout the review, I’ve repeatedly labeled the Joyetech Cuboid Lite a “beginner device” only to talk about its myriad features. However, vape power and limited tank are what relegate this mod to 101-class status.

By no means am I saying the Cuboid Lite is a bad device; it’s actually quite good, and makes a lot of sense for a new vaper. However, for anyone experienced with how mods work, and more advanced vaping devices, the Cuboid Lite is going to feel woefully underpowered.

Whether it’s the 80-watt maximum, or the power limit feature being a little overeager, isn’t entirely clear. What IS clear is that pushing the Cuboid Lite past 60 watts – 20% lower than its advertised limit – turned the mod into a microwaved potato, ridiculously hot to the touch for minutes after disengaging the fire button.

What’s even more ridiculous is that the temperature protection warning never once went off on that big, beautiful display.

Even at 60 watts, the Cuboid Lite borders on uncomfortably warm – and that’s coming from a guy who regularly handles today’s uber-powered vape devices. Imagine how a new vaper is going to react when the device goes from satisfying to scalding with a few button presses.

Moving the needle back down, the Cuboid Lite was a good performer. I used a wide range of MTL and restricted lung setups, and the mod handled them all well, with higher-resistance rigs seeming most appropriate. As a full-bore sub-ohm device, the Cuboid could be pressed into service if needed, but the limited “sweet spot” suggests this isn’t a good use of the device.

Using my own 1.0-ohm Kanthal coil in a Digiflavor Siren 22, at 15-20 watts, the vape quality was fantastic. I felt it could go higher, but the power limit feature ensured I never got that far. Still, even at that level, the Cuboid offered a smooth, potent hit with no pulses or bumps in the road.

Temperature control proved to be just as solid, if not a little conservative in its output. Unlike with its inclusion of bypass mode, Joyetech seemed to be thinking of the rookie vapers here, and ensured temp control was easy to adjust, without allowing the Cuboid Lite to overshoot its limits.

Finally, the Cuboid Lite offers stronger-than-average battery life for such a diminutive mod. Though I don’t employ measurement equipment in my testing arsenal, I found the Cuboid to measure up favorably with some similarly specced devices, such as the Council of Vapor Megavolt 80-watt mod. On a full charge, I enjoyed nearly a full day of heavy use, including menu navigation and repeatedly swapping of atomizers.

One final note for this section – maybe it’s just because I recently reviewed the Cuboid Pro touchscreen mod, but even on the smaller device, the display just begged to be touched, which threw me for a loop more than once. Again, even though it’s beautiful and bright, I was more distracted by its lack of function.

My hat is tipped to Joyetech for coming up with a tank airflow design to accommodate both MTL and direct-lung vapers. Featuring both a wide-open airflow for sub-ohm chucking, alongside a restricted, tight MTL set of airflow options, Joyetech has maximized the available space on the 22mm tank.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work as intended on the Exceed D22, but this innovative AFC design should serve as a template for future efforts throughout the industry.

Featuring a snug top-filling design, the 2mL Exceed is an ideal match for the Cuboid Lite. In its stock setting, the tank is squat and comparatively narrow when placed next to today’s 25mm behemoths. But when using the chimney extender and larger glass, the 3.5mL setup is far more akin to modern standards.

I first used the preinstalled EX1.2-ohm MTL coil in the 2mL arrangement, and was immediately struck by the intensity and clarity of my e-liquid flavor. Given the nature of the setup, I passed on my usual high-VG blend, and opted for my wife’s 50/50, higher-nic juice, instead.

After an initial soak, I took a few short puffs and was taken back by how layered and rich the fruity menthol became with this coil. Though the sub-ohm fiend in me wanted to really let this thing fly, I managed to stay in MTL territory, and enjoyed every minute of it.

At just shy of the coil’s 14-watt peak, I felt I achieved a perfect balance of heat and vapor – it’s not intended to chuck, so don’t try. I was also pleasantly surprised by how frugal these coils were on e-liquid consumption. Obviously higher resistances and lower wattages will use less juice, but even by MTL coil standards, the EX 1.2-ohm was a pleasant surprise.

I then reconfigured the tank to the 3.5mL arrangement, swapped in the EX 0.5-ohm direct lung coil, filled with my usual liquid, and expected to start fogging things a little more. Mind you, this coil has a top-end of 35 watts, so put away any expectations of room-filling vapor. But even at 25 watts, this was a flavorful, satisfying vape.

Unfortunately, the tank itself wasn’t really designed for larger airflow. Even on the widest setting, the Exceed was far too limited for such use, nor could the coil keep up with my puffs. Within 10 moderately paced draws, I began tasting cotton and scratchy dryness – dryness that never really went away after this point.

The flavor of the EX 0.5 was fair, but nowhere close to the nuanced experience from its MTL sibling. Of the two, there was no question which coil was the better, more memorable performer.

One disappointment? Neither coil demonstrated any longevity. With moderate use over just four days, both coils had diminished flavor and vapor, and a once vibrant e-liquid began to sour with each successive puff.

For those who have bigger cloud and performance needs, it’s best to look elsewhere, since this seemingly tech-heavy device is very much a limited, beginner-level purchase (bypass mode and excessive heat notwithstanding).

But as a compact, pocketable, and entirely different type of MTL setup, the Cuboid Lite Kit is a great starter rig for a new vaper, or an experienced MTL veteran looking for something reliable.

Cuboid Lite Mod Score: B-

Exceed Tank Score: C-

Kit Score: C

Joyetech Cuboid Lite Specs:

• Size: 26 mm x 41 mm x 67 mm
• Internal battery capacity is 3000 mAh
• 1.45 inch TFT color screen (not a touchscreen)
• Output range is 1 to  80 W
• Output modes: Power/Bypass/Temp(Ni, Ti, SS)/TCR(M1, M2, M3)
• Atomizer resistance range: 0.05-1.5ohm for Temp/TCR mode
• 0.1-3.5ohm for Power/Bypass mode
• Temperature control: 100-315°C/200-600°F
• Firmware upgradeable
• Max charging current: 2.0 A (fast charging)
• Max output current: 30A
• Max output voltage: 9V

Joyetech Exceed D22 Tank Specs:

• 22 mm diameter
• 41.6 mm tall or 1.6 inches
• 2 ml e-liquid capacity
• Slightly taller with the 3 ml tank and extension piece
• Stainless steel construction
• Heat resistant 510 drip tip
• The weight is 37 grams or 1.3 ounces
• 2 coil options – 1.2 ohm and 0.5 ohm
• Coils are Joyetech EX Series

Joyetech Cuboid Lite Kit Contents:

• Joyetech Cuboid Lite 80 mod
• Exceed D22 tank
• 1 – EX 0.5ohm DL Head
• 1 –  EX 1.2ohm MTL Head
• Extended Vent Pipe for 3.5 ml tank
• Spare glass (3.5ml)
• USB Cable
• 2 user manuals
• Warranty card
• Spare parts