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JoyeTech eVic Supreme – A Tom McBride Review
I can’t believe the JoyeTech eVic is just over a year old. Our last review of the eVic suggested it might even be a game-changer, what with the software/firmware connection with your Mac or PC, a clean, OLED display, state of the art electronics and last but not least, a truly good looking body. Even today, some 15 months later, that black glossy head, the shiny, brushed steel, the eVic remains a very capable, very popular APV.
Now, JoyeTech has upped their own ‘flagship’ APV with something that is certain to have Vapers talking ‘game changer’ once more. The new, super-APV, eVic Supreme has landed and it is amazing.
I’ve enjoyed using the new eVic Supreme so much over the last week that it is now my primary APV. So, if you don’t mind, I’m going to try and describe what the eVic Supreme not only looks like, but also what it feels like.
Look N Feel
The eVic Supreme should be seen as not only a refined eVic, but as a completely new APV. Its lines are more sharply defined, with finer details, it looks as though it was designed and manufactured without regard for cost (Not true of course, but it does give off that kind of vibe). The eVic Supreme that I reviewed has zero flaws in its physical appearance, and I think its safe to say that every one that comes off the assembly line will be the same way.
The stainless steel feels and looks like no stainless steel I’ve seen before. It feels rich, with a slight matte texture to it. It’s neither shiny nor chrome-like, nor is a brushed stainless steel, its something else altogether. The JoyeTech word and logo is laser etched into the stainless steel as well. It is also taller than the first eVic, with a larger black glossy head to accommodate a larger display.
The USB mini port has a removable rubber port cover, nowhere near as fragile as the original. One of the issues we had with the eVic last year was that the rubber port cap was hinged to the eVic and if it broke off, it broke off, never to be used again. Now, it’s removable. Just make sure you don’t leave it somewhere and forget about it.
The rubber port cover does not sit flush to the head, so you won’t struggle to release the cover in order to insert the mini-USB cable. Opposite the USB port is the fire button, a fire button with that also turns the unit on and off. The OLED display is sharp as a tack, and taller than the original, capable of displaying a lot more information this time around.
The end cap twists off as though the threads were perfectly aligned and highly polished. Removing the battery requires just a few turns of the cap, screwing it on, and back off again is a fluid, friction free twist.
Sitting between the stainless steel tube and the black glossy head, or brains of the eVic Supreme, is a setting dial that moves, click by click, as fluidly as the end cap turns, only each increment in voltage or wattage is met with a firm click that makes dialing in the setting you want more secure than ever. It is also a full 360-degree turning dial.
Above the black glossy head is magnificent beauty ring that matches the beautiful stainless steel of the tube. If you’re using a tank you’ll want to keep the ring on, but because the threading is native-ego and 510, removing the beauty ring allows for JoyeTech eGo threaded clearomizers to screw in flush to the body. Even so, I was able to use a series of X.Jet Spiders perfectly with the beauty ring on or off. The X.Jet Spider sinks down some with the beauty ring on, but it still looks good to me.
Software – MyVapors
Like the previous eVic the eVic Supreme uses software for the Mac or PC as the way to manipulate a myriad of settings controls, including the ability of setting a 16-shades of grey photograph that you can upload directly through the software. MyVapors, can be downloaded from JoyeTech website.
Once you get to the JoyeTech website you’ll need to pull out the warranty card, scratch off the concealed number on the back barcode sticker, and verify that you’ve actually purchased the real thing and not some knockoff.
Downloading the MyVapors software is pretty straightforward, though I do have some advice for Mac users; you’ll need to allow “any” downloaded software to be installed through your Security settings in the System Preferences before you can install the application. JoyeTech is not a registered or verified software developer for Apple; so only by bypassing the default security will you be able to install the software.
Once the software is installed you should restart your computer, and attach your eVic with the supplied USB cable. After that, launch MyVapors and start to set up your eVic Supreme. The MyVapors software version I installed for this review was v1.4. The interface will remind you of the previous eVic software from last year, but it is far more capable. I’ll list the capabilities further down.
Packaged Like An Apple Product
The eVic Supreme is packaged taking cues directly from Apple Computer. A thick, white box, white inserts for the body, below that are boxes for the USB cable, the wall adapter, and a spanking new Sony battery that you must use if you want to obtain the maximum 30watts of power.
I advise you to pick up an additional Sony battery for the eVic, if only to have a matching spare battery on hand. You can charge the battery while its still in the eVic or remove it and charge it in charger. Either way if fine, but I’m so used to removing the battery and placing it in a charger, so having that fully charged spare on hand is a necessity for me.
Conclusion for Look N Feel
I like, and enjoy, many APV’s. As a hobbyist I continue to add to my collection of APV’s, mech-mods, and even eGo/Spinners in different colors and mAh’s all the time. I have not been more impressed with any APV/mod than I am with the eVic Supreme, and that includes my recent acquisition of the Sigelei 20W. The eVic Supreme feels like a million bucks, and so far I’ve not experienced a single hiccup in its superior performance.
Features
Naturally, the feature set for this $159 APV is going to be as complete as possible, with some exclusive features as well. Just take a look…
Features of eVic Supreme
- SONY US18650VTC4 (Sony VT4) 2100mAh high-safety, extra large capacity, and high-stability dedicated lithium battery
- 30 watt max
- 6 volt max
- 0.5 – 5.0 ohm atomizer
- 510 and Ego Threaded
- Ohm meter
- Puff Counter & Duration
- 16 Shade Gray Photo Display
- MyVapor Software and Firmware Upgrades
- 7 number display (set what you want to see with MyVapors)
- Battery connector screws off and can be replaced.
- Dimensions: 7-1/2″L x 15/16″D
Points of Interest
Sub-Ohm Vaping – Notice in the features above that the spread for the atomizer compatibility is 0.5 to 5ohms. Using a 0.5ohm atomizer is what’s known as “sub-ohm” vaping, something cloud chasers are going to love. While sub-ohm vaping was once the major reason for some people for buying a mechanical mod, you can now do some major cloud chasing with an advanced vaporizer.
Display – The 16-shades of gray for the photo display, while sort of cute and all, won’t yield you a highly detailed photo. But keep in mind that it was just a decade ago that a thousand dollar iPod was capable of displaying the same kind of photo, so we can certainly expect that within a year or two eVics will have the ability to show full-color slideshows with sound, and perhaps even a movie. I admit I got a kick out of seeing a photo displayed on the eVic, but more than anything I recognize it as a step in a ‘cool’ direction more than it is an actual benefit for vaping.
The eVic Supreme is available now, and in stock at MyVaporStore for $159.95. After purchasing dozens of APV’s and mech-mods I can honestly tell you that the eVic Supreme is worth every penny of that $159.95. From the packaging, features, and performance, I’m kind of surprised it didn’t launch at $199.
Speaking of Performance, perhaps its time to tell you about my real world experience with the eVic Supreme these past 8 days.
Real World Usage
My supplied Sony battery was charged to 72% when I first put it in the eVic, so I removed it and charged it up to 100%. That took about an hour. Afterward, after booting it up, but before the software installation, I slapped an Aspire Nautilus on it; filled with some of Julia’s private stash of Vazilla by G2 (G2 Prime), let it sit for about 15 minutes and then turned the eVic back on. The default setting turns the eVic off after 30 minutes, but goes into sleep mode, or slideshow mode, in about 2 or 3 minutes.
Less than 2 seconds after screwing on the Nautilus tank, the eVic Supreme informed me that the atomizer was 1.6ohms and suggested I start vaping at either 3.3v or 6.8w. This is standard math here, and any APV capable of reading the atomizer will tell you the same thing. That said, you don’t have to go fishing for the information, it begins reading the atomizer as soon as the atomizer makes contact with eVics power. Once read the eVic sets the voltage or wattage based on what you’ve decided to use, voltage or wattage. Within a few seconds you’re up and running where you should be. Whether or not it turns out to be your “sweet spot” depends on you and your eLiquid.
I set the eVic Supreme for voltage and then began to turn the settings dial, one click on the dial at a time. A few clicks up, a couple of clicks down, each one changing the ‘vape’ in significant ways. My personal sweet spot for Vazilla in a Nautilus was 3.5v, or 7.6w. The whole process took a few seconds.
When I opened a new X.Jet Spider and filled it with Harvest Moon by Rocket Fuel Vapes, I removed the beauty ring and screwed it in. This time the eVic read the ohms at 1.8, and set my vape up for 3.5v, or 6.8w. My sweet spot this time was the suggested 3.5v.
I used the eVic Supreme for an entire day before installing the software, but once I did I went through each of the settings and personalized my device on a level never available before now.
Once I attached the eVic Supreme to my Mac with the USB cable I clicked Connect eCig, and then Get Data from eCig. It took a blink of an eye to grab the data and transfer it to my Mac. Going through all the menus and setting up all my options took about 15 minutes, only because it was my first time doing it.
While the software will remind eVic owners of the old software, the setup is somewhat easier to manipulate. If you were nervous about using the software before that shouldn’t be a problem any longer. Well, except for one thing that has carried over from the older software…upgrading.
Upgrading your eVic Supreme is the same as upgrading the older eVic. No need to go into detail here, suffice it to say that it requires several steps. Why JoyeTech cannot devise an upgrade solution that simply reads your current version and upgrades it straight from the JoyeTech server farm is beyond me. If their expertise doesn’t include writing software programs I’m sure finding a coder to do the job would be pretty easy to do.
30 Watts
During my time with the Sigelei 20W I wondered why anyone would need 20W of power, if they weren’t into smoking dry herbs or pot. Now JoyeTech has increased the output to 30W, in conjunction with the special Sony battery anyway. And again, the question arises; why would we need a 30-watt device? I can vape a sub-ohm coil with a lot less than 30 watts, so its either something I’m missing completely, or the eVic Supreme will become a very popular device in Colorado and Washington.
Conclusion
After spending a couple of days with the eVic Supreme I had gathered enough information to write the review, but instead of returning to one of my other APV’s I continued to use Supreme. Heck, I’m still using it, and will continue to until something better comes along, and that may be quite some time.
The eVic Supreme is the end product of JoyeTech studying the eVic in the wild, and back at HQ, for more than a year. Every little issue, from the simple rubber cap over the USB port to the threading of the end cap, JoyeTech has polished every detail until they got it exactly right.
Lastly, the build quality is amazing. While I liked the original eVic, it didn’t feel nearly as “professional” as the eVic Supreme. The Supreme looks great, works great, and offers more thoughtful features than any APV on the market.
JoyeTech has made a terrific YouTube video that guides you through the features of the eVic Supreme. If you are at all interested in seeing, as well as reading, what this amazing APV can do, I highly recommend watching it this movie after you’ve read this review
Tom McBride
Package Contents:
- 1 eVic supreme control head
- 1 eVic supreme power supply tube
- 1 Rechargeable Sony VTC4 2100mAh battery
- 1 USB cable
- 1 Wall adapter
- 1 eVic supreme manual
- 1 MVR manual card
[youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SHyssR5Igs” width=”500″ height=”300″]
