The iJOY Captain Resin Mod (Rehash) Review

In 2017, we reviewed the iJOY Captain PD270. Then we reviewed several other variants of the same idea shortly after. No big deal, we’re used to vape companies releasing similar items within a short period. But now it’s 2019, and iJOY just released the iJOY Captain Resin kit upon the world.

Other than the Resin Exterior, it’s the Same Exact Mod.

Even as I write this, I’m not sure how to attack this review. On one hand, for every vaper that never had a Captain PD270, the Resin is a “new” device, I suppose. On the other, experienced vapers can smell a cash grab a mile away. So what does the Captain Resin kit bring to the table that its predecessors didn’t? Not a damn thing. Let’s see the official line…

The Official Description of the iJoy Captain Resin

The iJoy Captain RESIN PD270 234W Starter Kit pays homage to the original Captain, integrating a visually stunning resin panels with the high-performance chipset to pair with the flavor-enhanced Captain RESIN Sub-Ohm Tank.

This Starter Kit is a blend of zinc-alloy and resin chassis construction, combining both materials for a striking visual aesthetic and protecting the internal features…Paired with the iJoy Captain RESIN Mesh Sub-Ohm Tank, the Captain Resin Starter Kit will create clouds at the press of a button.

Measuring a whopping 28mm diameter, the Captain RESIN Sub-Ohm Tank can hold up to 6mL of today’s premium eJuice, top filled via sliding top cap.

At the opposite end, a dual slotted adjustable bottom airflow control ring, regulates the amount of airflow rushing past the internal coil structure.

If you’ve been around the vaping block a few times, your first reaction to the Captain Resin will be “deja vu!” If you’re like us, you’ll also be a little (okay, a lot) disappointed in iJOY.

It’s not because the Captain Resin is ugly – it’s actually quite attractive.

And it can’t be because the Captain Resin is underperforming – it works as well as we remember.

Could it be because the included tank system isn’t worthwhile – it certainly offers some versatility.

Because the Captain Resin kit is bad? Nope. It does what it says it will.

Too Many Captains

The issue I have is that there is so much here that we’ve seen before, it’s just too difficult to get past it all. If the Captain PD270 came out a few months ago, and they were expanding a brand to include resin finishes, fine. That’s part of the vape business, and we’ve gotten all too used to it.

But to take 2.5 years away, slap some resin decals on your remaining stock of antiquated mods and  have the gall to introduce it as a “new” vape kit? Sorry, but we can’t justify that. Again, the PD270 was a decent-at-best, 20700-ready mod kit, which saw some use around these offices in 2017. The Captain Resin is the exact same device.

Can Resin Make a Difference?

But let’s be diplomatic for a moment. At first glance, the Captain Resin is an attractive mod. The resin-like decals (maybe they’re thin plates) are installed solidly enough.  A vast improvement over the PD270’s ridiculous carbon fiber stickers that peeled instantly. It’s also pretty apparent they’re not going to stay in place forever.

I didn’t test their durability, but I know I could remove whatever this design element is within seconds of prying a fingernail beneath the surface. Hardly a sturdy build.

OLED – IWEPAL – MORE

The large OLED screen is also exactly as you remember it, thanks to the throwback IWEPAL chipset. That said, it’s bright, legible and crams about as much information into its space without ever becoming overwhelming. Perhaps iJOY could have left a few items off to let things breathe, but the screen is still a good format, even in 2019.

In turn, the Captain’s deep, spring-loaded (albeit tightly) 510 connection accurately read and fired every atomizer I threw at it, which is more than I can say about most mods in my collection. Better yet, all my tanks and RDAs sat perfectly flush, with zero gaps to be found.

Fire Button

Also returning is the monstrous metal fire button, which still gives users an optimal balance of sensitivity and clickiness. Its recessed placement helps stave off pocket firing, but the button is easy to engage with little pressure. Though my PD270 was paid forward years ago, this fire key felt firm and familiar, as did the operation buttons.

Standout Features (for all the wrong reasons)

As we mentioned above, the Captain Resin is built around (what seems to be) the IWEPAL chipset, which offers a standard selection of options for all areas of your mod’s functionality. I can’t really complain about the operations, since it’s a breeze to monitor and adjust TC, TCR, wattage, resistance, amps, puff counters and more. But a pioneer like iJOY has made better use of chipsets since the original PD270 launched, and it’s pretty surprising they didn’t try and use the Shogun UNIV as a basis for evolving the line, not repeating it.

Battery Life

But there was something more disappointing with this rendition of the Captain – battery life. Years ago, we were nonplussed by 20700 batteries, but iJOY stood firm in using them (and even including them in all their kits). We appreciated the original PD270 for its battery efficiency. Even if we didn’t see much IMPROVEMENT from 18650 cells, there was no loss of vape time, either.

Regression

Well, the Captain Resin seems to have regressed. Because the battery life on this device is horrendous. I managed just a few hours of moderate vaping using a fresh pair of fully charged, 3,000mAh 20700s. And I wasn’t pushing the mod to its 234-watt limit, either. At just 75 watts, the Captain Resin swallowed battery power at an unforgivable rate.

20700 – 18650

(And if you’re thinking it was the 20700 cells, it wasn’t. I used an 18650 adapter to use the Captain Resin, and the same battery drain problems persisted.)

Vaping the iJOY Captain Resin Kit

So, you’re probably expecting a few paragraphs of bile-spewing anger here. But that’s not going to happen. Because the Captain Resin kit fires responsively, reads accurately, and offers a predictable vape. Even with the most-redundant companion sub-ohm tank in history.

What do we mean? The included Captain Resin tank is the latest in a long line of same-y sub-ohmers offered up by iJOY. In the last year, we’ve tested the Captain, Avenger, Katana, Diamond and now Captain Resin tanks. And they all perform roughly the same, with similar coils that are all cross-compatible. So yeah, there’s some level of versatility here, but there’s also a blinding sense of “haven’t we seen this before?” that stomps all over any enjoyment you might have.

Coils – Lifespan, Flavor and Vapor

Seriously, if you’ve tried any of the above, you’ve tried them all. I enjoy the coils’ lifespan, flavor and vapor production, but at this point in the sub-ohm game, we need to be DIFFERENTIATING these products, not making more of the same. So yeah, the Resin tank’s MESH 2 coils are good, solid performers, but if you claim you can tell these apart from iJOY’s myriad other siblings, you’re lying.

Shortage Fix

Moving beyond the coils and tanks, I’m happy to report that the Captain Resin improved on one key flaw from the original PD270 (though I only tested it once) – the shorted atomizer problems at max wattages. If you look back to that review, you’ll know I started getting atomizer warnings near the top of the mod’s capabilities, followed by massive heat output throughout the body of the device.

Happily, one of those problems was solved – the atomizer warnings never appeared on the Captain Resin. It wasn’t a SMOOTH ride to the top, but we got there without much incident. However, the heat problem remains, with the resin-like exterior becoming unbelievably hot when the mod was pushed to its limits. Removing the batteries helped, but they were also hot to the touch, leading me to think iJOY STILL overstates the performance capabilities of these chipsets.

Regurgitated Temp Control

In terms of modes and features, the usual suspects are all here, and I see no need to dive into temperature control settings when every mod on the market has these capabilities now. Instead, I’ll just remind users that most mods don’t become scorching to hold when used within stated capabilities.

As if I haven’t said it enough already, this was a disappointing experience that was a little TOO reminiscent of my first time around with the Captain.

Captain RESIN Pros:

– Resin decals/plates are nice

– Fire button is as solid and responsive as ever

– Your Captain Resin tank coils will work with just about every other iJOY tank in recent history

Captain RESIN Cons:

– Heat problems are inexcusable

– Battery life is even worse

– The kit is so unnecessary in 2019 it’s laughable

Spinfuel VAPE Recommendation and Score

If you absolutely MUST have every iJOY Captain device on the market, please let me introduce you to Marty, the only other guy in the world who feels the same way. The two of you would be the only people who truly NEED the Captain Resin kit.

For a new vaper, the kit performs mostly without issues, and is technically a functional vape setup. But there are just so many others to recommend, we couldn’t possibly put our weight behind this one. We didn’t love the PD270, and are downright appalled at how little has improved since 2017.

Conclusion

iJOY is a vaping pioneer. They deserve every ounce of respect and admiration we can throw at them. But even the best companies have missteps. Our recommendation to iJOY? Give the Captain an honorable discharge and build around new leaders like the Shogun to lead your army. Even if you ARE a fan of this series, you’re going to have a hard time wondering how the company could have thought releasing the exact same product years later was a good idea.