Joyetech Elitar Pipe 75W TC Starter Kit
Vaping the same old Box Mod and Atomizer can sometimes get repetitive even with all these amazing products flooding the vape industry. Seeing something new come to me from Spinfuel HQ is always an exciting but nervous adventure. Trying to figure out all the minute details while not forgetting the basics is always on the back of my mind when crafting my final review. When it comes to the Joyetech Elitar Pipe 75W TC Starter Kit ($47.95 at Element Vape), now you can vape (or puff) like a true gentleman! When I held the Elitar Pipe (I like referring to it as an E-Pipe) for the first time, it had me instinctively reaching for my old jar of pipe tobacco and torch lighter; the construction, weight and design resembles an old past time from years back. SMOK has given us the Guardian E-Pipe (the most recent Guardian Sub Starter Kit) and now Joyetech brings a new refreshed interpretation of a cigar pipe to the vape world with the Elitar Pipe 75W TC Starter Kit.
The Joyetech Elitar 75W TC Starter Kit consists of the Elitar Pipe 75W TC Mod and the Elitar Sub-Ohm Tank. Mixing the classic pipe design with modern e-cigarette technology brings us into 2017 with a sophisticated and elegant new look. If the complicated and oversized Box Mod’s are too large and the smaller pen-style eGo devices just don’t get the job done, the Elitar Pipe could be the setup for not only elder gentlemen but youngsters alike. Available in Black, White, Gold, Grey (which all share a metallic finish) and the one I received for review Wood. The Elitar Pipe feels solid with no rattling and the finish has held up to over a month of continued use. Everywhere I bring the Elitar Pipe, people always double-look to see what it is I’m puffing on. I think they expect a strong odor of sweet and bold tobacco but they get some wonderfully fruity sour apple.
Personally, I’ve always enjoyed Joyetech’s software and how navigation is done with their devices. Trolling the menu can be confusing if you’re not familiar with the commands but it’s quite simple and easy once you do it a few times. The chipset lets you fire up to 75W in both Power and TC Modes with plenty of options to match your preferences. In VW and Bypass Modes, plan on firing as low as 0.1Ω and up to 3.5Ω (0.05Ω-1.5Ω in all TC Modes). The usual Nickel, Titanium and Stainless Steel (SS316) temperature controlled wires are available for immediate use with three customizable TCR Modes (M1-M3) if you need such a feature. With a temperature range from 200-600° Fahrenheit, I prefer my temperature at 500° and upwards. The overall performance is not much different than similar 75W Joyetech devices but is accurate and reliable nonetheless (no Flappy Bird games or clock functions on this one).
The Joyetech Elitar Pipe runs on a single 18650 battery (not included) with a recommended continuous output of 25A. Don’t get me wrong, it still functions great with something in the range of 20A but 25A is a good middle ground estimate. Unfortunately, only a select few batteries fit correctly without the door being able to close properly. I originally tried one of my LG HG2 18650 batteries and the door wouldn’t slide into place or make a connection with the magnets. My Sony VTC5a/VTC6 batteries fit good with no extra pressure when installing the battery door. Hopefully Joyetech addresses this issue with future versions. The micro USB port is for firmware upgrading and if you’re in a pinch, battery charging. We highly recommend (as well as Joyetech) to always charge your batteries with an external battery charger (I use the Nitecore D4) unless you have no other choice as a temporarily fix.
The 0.66-inch OLED screen appears to be hidden since the pipe profile isn’t changed from its classic stature and gives us the most crucial stats when vaping. It’s not the brightest screen ever made and Joyetech probably could’ve filled the wasted space surrounding the screen with a larger display; but it functions well. The large fire switch is located on the inside of the bend which makes finding a comfortable firing position kind of difficult. I would’ve preferred it to be on the bottom underneath the display screen. The regulatory buttons are right under the screen, are discrete and out of the way but are quite small for us big-handed people. The Gold-plated 510 center pin kept me connected to any atomizer I attached to the Elitar Pipe and the threading feels non-restrictive.
After a day or two of vaping the Elitar, I finally found a couple ways to comfortably hold it. Any configuration I initially tried didn’t feel right and I found myself constantly adjusting and shifting the mod around. This is partly user error since this shape is new to my hand. The way I was vaping some of the time was holding the base covering the screen with the rest of my hand and thumb firing in a typical pipe smoking format. But the orientation I preferred the most was flipping the device with the screen pointed towards my body, holding it upright and laying my thumb on the fire button which felt more organic to me. Because of the fire button location, you’ll need to find that comfort zone as well; hopefully quicker than I did.
The Joyetech Elitar Sub-Ohm Tank is a 22mm Atomizer with a very familiar leak-resistant cup-style tank (the Joyetech Cubis/Cubis Pro) and BF (bottom-feeding) coil heads we’re used to seeing from Joyetech. With the Elitar Tank attached to the Elitar Pipe, it’s obvious why they came as a combination. You can fit any Atomizer up to 22mm without dealing with overhang but any size tank will work. The same TFTA (Top Fill Top Airflow) technology implemented on several other Joyetech Atomizers is also seen here. The entire Elitar Tank breaks down very quickly for efficient cleaning and maintenance.
The top-fill system makes filling the bottom-fed coils simple and helps alleviate constant flooding. Removing the top section gives you access to two plentiful fill slots to dump in your 2ml of eJuice while also bringing the coil up with it. The patterned glass window is visually nice to look at but makes it hard to tell how much eJuice is in the tank. With darker colored eJuice, observing the level is much easier than trying to blindly see clear or light colored liquid. The Pyrex glass is built into the base housing and cannot be removed (so don’t expect an extra glass section in the box). Obviously with the cup-style tank design, leaking is something you’ll never have to worry about unless you tip your tank to the side for an extended period.
Top adjustable airflow consists of five 2mm x 1mm slots on each side. With the 0.5Ω coil head and the airflow fully open, I get a nice Direct Lung pull without much restriction at all. With the 1.5Ω coil and the airflow completely open as well, the draw is just right for consistent MTL vaping. The airflow adjustment ring is easy to rotate and stops in the opened and closed positions. The 11.5mm Delrin drip tip is 510 compatible and comfortable to vape on. When running anything above 40W, the drip tip can become hot so be mindful.
The Joyetech Elitar Sub-Ohm Tank adopts the popular BF (bottom-feeding) coil structure; the same coil heads used in the Cubis Tanks. Before screwing the coil head into the bottom of the top cap, my recommendation is don’t prime the coil heads at all. I’ve minimized gurgling and spit back dramatically with no priming and only dry pulling (taking long pulls with the airflow closed to properly prime a new coil). The LVC (Liquid Valve Control) 1.5Ω MTL coil head has an adjustable ring that lets you control how much eJuice is being fed to the cotton. I couldn’t find the recommended wattage anywhere so I started at 5W and eventually reached 15W which provides an excellent MTL vape experience. Even with wide open airflow, the pull was plenty restrictive while still putting out some nice vapor trails. This coil head fits the whole E-Pipe theme; only a glass of Scotch is missing.
The other included coil head is the BF SS316 0.5Ω DL coil that’s rated from 15-30W. By the looks of the tiny dual 3mm x 1mm bottom wicking slots, it won’t be a cloud chaser. Surprisingly, the flavor is fantastic almost immediately. I was getting a decent vape at 20W but closer to the 30W mark was above average. I bounced between VW and SS316 TC Mode. At 30W and 500F, the vape was warmer which I prefer over a cooler mellower vape. Normally I’m not impressed with the bottom-feeding type coil heads but with the top-fill system the gurgling and spit back were non-existent. The airflow completely open is the ideal way to vape this coil. If I close the airflow almost down to nothing, I can still get a decent MTL pull. Keep in mind the drip tip will heat up when taking long, quick MTL puffs. But I can see why Joyetech labels this coil head a DL option versus the latter. I had no dry pulls and the minimal cotton exposure didn’t have a problem keeping up with 5-6 second rips. The coil does spit and pop so be careful after the device has sit idle for some time (hot eJuice on the tongue is never fun), which these bottom-feeding coils are notorious for.
Final Grade – B+
“I’m impressed that the Elitar Pipe 75W TC Starter Kit ($47.95 at Element Vape) encompasses the whole cigar pipe experience without the need for tobacco. I wouldn’t recommend this for your first device but rather as a backup or secondary go-to. Once you find somewhere to stand it up and a comfortable vape position, you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.”
Team Spinfuel
Joyetech Elitar 75W TC Pipe Mod Features:
- SIngle 18650 High Amp Battery – Not Included
- Output Wattage Range: 1-75W
- Minimum Atomizer Resistance: 0.05ohm
- Temperature Range: 200-600F
- Ni200, Titanium, and Stainless Steel Compatibility
- Temperature Coefficient of Resistance Adjustments
- Classis Cigar E-Pipe Chassis
- Large Intuitive 0.6″ OLED Display
- Oversized Firing Mechanism
- Two Adjustment Buttons
- Magnetic Battery Cover
- Over 10S Protection
- Stealth Functionality
- Low Battery Warning
- MicroUSB Port – Firmware Upgrades
- Stainless Steel 510 Connection
Joyetech Elitar Sub-Ohm Tank Features:
- 2mL Juice Well
- 22mm Tank Diamenter
- Pyrex Glass Reinforcement
- Unified Integration of Atomizer Base to Top Cap
- Cup-Style Tank Reservoir Design
- Top Airflow Control
- Convenient Top-Fill Design
- Joyetech BF Coil Structure (Bottom-Feed)
- Rewickable QCS Coil – Quick Change System
- 0.15ohm LVC Coil – Liquid Valve Control
- 0.25ohm NotchCoil DL Coil – rated for 30~70W
- 0.5ohm BF SS 316L – rated for 15~30W
- 1.0ohm BF SS 316L – rated for 10~25W
- 1.5ohm BF Clapton – rated for 8~20W
- 0.2ohm BF-Ni – rated for 500-550F
- 0.4ohm BF-Ti – rated for 450-500F
- Detachable and Washable Structure
- 510 Connection
Includes:
- 1 Elitar Pipe 75W Mod
- 1 Elitar Atomizer
- 1 0.15ohm LVC Coil
- 1 0.5ohm BF SS316 Coil
- 1 MicroUSB Cable
- Instructional Manual
