The Joyetech EKEE evoked a word I never thought I’d have to use when reviewing a vape mod – “balance.” Now, I’m not talking about balanced charging, or balanced design. No, I’m discussing actual physical balance, because I spent more time picking up the EKEE off its side than I did vaping it.

Keep a few vape rings (and maybe some bubble wrap) handy when standing this one on a hard surface, kids.

But we’re not reviewing a mod for balance, we’re reviewing for vape quality. And on those levels, the Joyetech EKEE delivers big in some areas, and seriously stumbles in others. Let’s dive in…

Opening the huge white box reveals a nice slate of goodies in the kit. For starters, you have the EKEE mod itself, which is much larger than the box image (and maximum wattage) implies. It’s by no means tremendous, but the EKEE is both taller and wider than one would expect from a mod in this range.

That said, Joyetech did a nice job creating a palm-friendly mod with the EKEE. Its symmetric, tapered shape feels fantastic in the hand, and operating both the up/down controls and the fantastic fire button are simple and intuitive.

The gold-plated, spring-loaded 510 connection is stiff, but forgiving, and all of my test atomizers sat flush, with one exception, an older RTA with an obnoxiously large connection.

Likewise, the large, vivid full-color display is easy to read in any light, making the EKEE a wonderful first “advanced” device for users moving up from vape pens and pod systems. But, while I love the feel of the up/down controls, I did notice operating them with my left hand completely covered the screen, making for some awkward hand movements to ensure I was at the right spot in the menus.

That may have been annoying, but hardly a dealbreaker. But the one glaring flaw of the EKEE is the bottom of the device! In an effort to continue the smooth lines and curvature of the design, Joyetech curved a good portion of the mod’s base, meaning the EKEE can (and will) tip over with nothing more than a gentle breeze. Within minutes of standing the device on my desk, it fell four times… hard.

Mind you, I wasn’t knocking into the EKEE with any force. Simple bumps of the desk, and one nasty bump of my knee was all it took to send the mod crashing flat on its face. And, for the first time since my beloved Kanger Subtank Mini, I shattered my tank glass. While I’m all for aesthetics, this stands as perhaps the most annoying feature of an otherwise user-friendly mod.

The rest of the package is a standard, but nonetheless generous offering, complete with the ProCore Motor sub-ohm tank, two ProC-series coils, a spare glass and tank extender, USB cable, manuals and spare parts. Joyetech always puts together nicely specced kits, and the EKEE is no exception. But a vape band would have been a nice (and necessary) inclusion.

The Joyetech EKEE is an 80-watt mod with full temperature control capabilities up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, TCR, bypass, preheat and stealth functionality, and a slew of protection features. In other words, there is little here that wouldn’t appeal to today’s vapers.

Using the standard five-click system to power on and off, and three clicks to enter the menu, there’s nothing here vapers haven’t seen before, and nothing that would turn off newcomers. The firm, but accessible up/down controls are nicely flush with the EKEE chassis, but are still easily located with fingers.

The bright screen uses the exact same layout as the recently reviewed Cuboid Mini, which is to say it clearly displays modes, settings and current temperatures and wattages. Though the supporting information (voltage, coil resistance and amperage) is a little small on the screen, it’s a minor quibble.

This is a user-friendly mod, through and through.

When firing, there is a slight delay between engaging the large, clicky button and vaping. It’s not excessive, but it is noticeable, even with the preheat function engaged.

Alright, let’s start with the good. The 25mm, top-fill ProCore Motor uses the established ProC coils, rather than unnecessarily introducing a new SKU to its growing product line. If you already own the popular ProCore Aries, or the versatile ProCore Remix, you’ll have a new member of the family with the Motor.

Included in the box are two ProC coils – a 0.4-ohm ProC1 for sub-ohm use, and a 0.25-ohm ProC1S that is deemed MTL-ready. That’s on paper, mind you. In practice, both of these coils were interchangeable to me, in both flavor and performance, with only a slight nod going to the ProC1S for slightly richer flavor.

Neither coil produced ample vapor, nor were they flavor monsters. Just a pair of serviceable coils, with decent lifespan. Now, I’ve had better experiences with these coils on other ProCore tanks, so perhaps the wide, squatty design of the Motor is to blame.

Running either coil above 60 watts was an exercise in pain and burnt flavors. Even with a relatively thin 60/40 VG/PG blend e-liquid, the coils began to scorch irreparably at these levels. Though the vape quality peaked at 50 watts, I’d actually recommend keeping these coils between 40-50 to ensure they don’t burn out prematurely.

It was nice to see a tank extender and larger glass included in the box, but moving the Motor to its 4.5mL capacity only further diminishes the flavor and vapor production. Though the bottom airflow worked well, and didn’t leak once during testing, these adjustments did little to enhance the experience. The Motor is only recommended as a kit addition, not a standalone purchase.

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Swapping out the frustrating ProCore Motor for a range of other tanks proved to be a worthwhile endeavor. Using a slew of other sub-ohm tanks and RTAs allowed the EKEE to perform up to expectations. Though an 80-watt limit means this isn’t a cloud-chucking device, the EKEE readily fogged my office using the right atomizers.

First, I used a trusty SMOK Big Baby Beast (since I’ve accumulated 12 or so these past few months), and was pleased with how seamless these two devices worked together. Though the afore-mentioned firing delay was still there, the SMOK tank seemed to get up to speed quicker than the ProCore Motor, and before long, I was enjoying a warm, flavorful vape around 60 watts.

Pushing a little higher exposed some flaws in the EKEE’s vape quality. Around 65 watts, I found the EKEE to struggle a bit, pulsing and misfiring from time to time. The average user might not even notice, but the small gaps in power were frustrating.

At 80 watts, these gaps grew larger, and occurred more frequently. Once again, we have a case of overpromising and underdelivering on power promises. If the EKEE was marketed properly, it would be a solid 60-watt, internal battery device aimed at moderate vapers.

Instead, we have a 20-watt differential between fiction and reality – a claim I’m becoming really tired of making.

To test temperature control, I used an old Lemo 2 and a 1.2-ohm SS316 coil to do some quality MTL work. In short, this was the best application of the EKEE’s skillset. Using the higher resistance coil at roughly 25 watts, I enjoyed a wonderfully flavorful vape, and a surprisingly abundant amount of vapor.  Plus, under this lighter demand, the EKEE shone, both in smoothness of each draw, and overall battery life.

The fully featured TC suite works well, and rarely showed the pulsing and struggling experienced at high wattages. Sure, I experienced some odd temp protection errors, and the occasional coil resistance jumping, but this is something I experience in nearly every mod I test – heck, maybe it’s me! Still, for MTL enthusiasts, I can see the temp control suite being a popular option.

Unfortunately, there are a handful of significant negatives with the Joyetech EKEE kit. The included tank is average at best, the coils are barely passable, and the device has a hard time standing upright before tumbling over.

But, as an overall kit, despite its flaws, the Joyetech EKEE is a somewhat solid option, provided you’re looking for a reliable, low-wattage vape. Anyone who wants to get into more advanced vaping with minimal fuss could find some real value in this stylish, comfortable, easy to use device.

But if you’re looking to pocket 80 legitimate watts of power, it’s best to look elsewhere, or risk major disappointment.

The Score

Joyetech EKEE mod: C+

Joyetech ProCore Motor tank: C-

Overall Kit: C

Joyetech EKEE specs:

• Size: 27.0mm (W)*47.5mm (L)*117.5mm (H)
• E-liquid capacity: 2ml (can be changed to 4.5ml with the spare glass tube)
• Battery capacity: 2,000mah
• Display: 1.3 inch TFT color screen
• Output range: 1-80W
• Output modes: Power/Bypass/Temp(Ni,Ti,SS)/TCR(M1,M2,M3)
• Resistance range: 0.05-1.5ohm for TEMP/TCR mode
• Depth of 510 pins applicable: 4.0-5.5mm
• 0.1-3.5ohm for Power/ Bypass mode
• Temperature Control:100-315°C/200-600°F
• Max charging current:2A
• Max output current:30A
• Max output voltage: 9V

Joyetech EKEE kit contents:

• 1x Joyetech Ekee 80W TC 2000 mAh Box Mod
• 1x Joyetech ProCore Motor Sub-Ohm Tank
• 1x ProC1 0.4 ohm Atomizer
• 1x ProC1-S 0.25 ohm Atomizer
• 1x Extended Vent Pipe
• 1x Larger Glass Tube 4.5ml
• 1x Warranty Card and Warning Card
• 1x User Manual
• 1x Micro USB Charging Port