We received the black and white version of the Joyetech Exceed D19 starter kit for review, which has a graduated paint effect from top to bottom. Although it does look different from most vape pens, I think I would still prefer a plain black or silver version. Fortunately, the exceed D19 does come in those colors along with white or red variants.

The Exceed D19 is so much smaller in height and diameter than I expected. The whole diameter of the pen and tank is just 19 mm (hence the D19). In width and height, the device itself is not much bigger than an 18650 battery and is barely noticeable in the palm of your hand.

The fire button is located towards the top of the mod, like most pens, with the charge port on the reverse side. There is a printed Exceed branding on the front and Joyetech on the back of the battery. At the base of the battery, there is also a small hole to allow venting.

The only other bit of styling comes from the light ring around the top of the device. The light is activated when you press the fire button, and the color of this light is dependent on which output mode you have set the battery too, it also acts as a battery life indicator.

The paintwork on the battery has a matte finish and feels nice and smooth in the hand. However, I did notice a slight bit of paint chipping around the charge port. This may have been caused by me fumbling around in the dark to recharge it, and it’s only minor. I’m sure, with normal everyday use, it will hold up just fine. If you are worried about the paint not holding up, maybe go with the silver version.

All in all the Exceed D19 feels like a vape pen should, it’s light, sturdy, and is the perfect size. The fire button is nice and clicky, and there are no shakes or rattles.

The Exceed D19 battery has a 1500mAh capacity, and remaining battery life is indicated by the ring of lights at the top. At full to 60% charge, the light stays fully illuminated after you press the fire button. Then as the battery level decreases the light flashes more rapidly, with 30-59% slowly flashing, 10-29% moderately flashing and 0-9% frequently flashing.

I like what Joyetech have tried to do here, but I’m not quite sure it’s the best implementation. It can get a little confusing not to mention annoying with all the flashing lights.

One thing you don’t always see in a vape pen is the ability to change modes. The Exceed D19 can be used in either regulated constant output mode (where the battery output stays the same, despite the charge level), or can mimick a mechanical mod with direct-output (where it pushes out more power on a fully charged battery and less as it discharges). In all honesty, I didn’t notice much difference in performance, but more on that later.

5 clicks of the fire button turns the mod on and off.

While the device is switched off, long press the fire button to switch between Direct Output (white light) and Constant Voltage mode (orange light).

The D19 tank is part of the Exceed D range of tanks by Joyetech, which uses the EX coil range. It is a 19mm diameter tank and can hold up to 2 ml of e-liquid (so is obviously TPD compliant).

The tank features top filling, and the top mouthpiece is extremely easy to unscrew and reveals nice large fill ports for the liquid. The mouthpiece is all one part so you can’t use your own drip tips, and although it is comfortable in the mouth and perfect for MTL style vaping, it might be a little small for direct lung vaping.

The tank is well constructed and is extremely easy to dismantle if you want to give it a good clean or change the glass. However, my one gripe with the design of the tank is that it needs to be completely empty in order for you to change the coil. On my first attempt I assumed the glass would stay in place with the top cap when flipped upside down, but after closer inspection and 1 ml of juice on my table, I noticed there are actually no o-rings to hold it in place. The base and top are held together as you attach the coil – so don’t make the same mistake.

The airflow on the D19 is designed really well and is smooth to adjust. You have the option of 3 small air holes for MTL style vaping. Having it set with just one hole open is an extremely tight draw, I mainly used it with 2 or 3 open, but it’s great that the option is there.

You also have a full large slot for direct-to-lung vaping, and it is a nice airy draw, not really comparable to a sub ohm tank but good for someone wishing to try that style of vaping with the 0.5-ohm coils. Also because the slot is next to the air holes you can have it set with only half the slot and some of the holes exposed for a less airy draw

The D19 tank really does offer lots of adjustment – and kudos to Joyetech on a versatile airflow design.

Exceed D19 Battery:

• Size: 19 x 76mm
• Battery Capacity:1500mAh
• Battery Cell Type: 18500
• Max output wattage: 40W
• Mode: direct output mode and constant voltage output
• Thread: 510 thread

Exceed D19 Tank:

• Size: 19 x 42mm (w/o 510 thread)
• Capacity: 2ml
• Coil: EX 1.2ohm MTL head (8-15W) / EX 0.5ohm DL head (20-35W)
• Thread: 510 thread

Exceed D19 Package Includes:

• 1 x Exceed D19 battery
• 1 x Exceed D19 atomizer
• 1 x Ex 0.5ohm DL Head
• 1 x Ex 1.2ohm MTL Head
• 1 x USB cable
• 2 x Manual
• 1 x Warranty card
• Spare parts

As with all of these starter kit tanks or sub ohm tanks the main performance really comes down to the coils.

This kit comes with both a 1.2 (best at 12W) and 0.5-ohm (best at 28W) EX coils. I tried both coils with 50% and 80% VG liquid and even tested the tank on a box mod to better gauge the performance.

The 1.2-ohm coil is perfect for a starter kit and when used with the airflow holes provides an excellent MTL vape.

As expected, the coils wicked better and provided a greater experience with 50/50 VG/PG liquid. That’s not to say I had any dry hits with 80% VG juice; it just felt a little lacking.

The vapor produced is also pretty cool, I’m normally used to a slightly warmer vape. But the flavor production was excellent, the coils really do produce good flavor from the offset. I don’t remember vape pens being this good when I started vaping.

Using the tank with this coil on another device gave the same performance, which is great.

Note: Make sure you prime your coils with e-liquid before using a fresh coil.

The 0.5-ohm coil is designed for DTL vaping with the airflow wide open.

This still produced quite a cool vape, which I was a little surprised by. Again the flavor was on point, but it was not really giving out the vapor I would have hoped for.

That was until I put the tank on my VooPoo Drag and set it to 28 watts, then this coil really started to perform great; the vapor was warmer and denser. This leads me to believe the battery was just not capable of putting out enough power for the coil, even when it was fully charged and set to direct output.

That’s not to say it performed bad, and it is definitely adequate for someone wanted to try DTL style vaping, but for best performance with these coils, I think it needs a little more oomph.

Note: Make sure you prime your coils with e-liquid before using a fresh coil.

The airflow options of the tank are great, even the coils are great and produce excellent flavor and adequate vapor.

I think the battery is perfect when used in conjunction with the 1.2-ohm coils, just not quite there when using the 0.5-ohm coils.

I also didn’t really notice much difference between using constant output and direct output from the battery and both tended to drop in performance as the battery became low on charge. It’s good that they included the option to use it that way, but for me, it is a little unnecessary.

I guess the ultimate test of a starter kit is if it really helps get somebody off of cigarettes and into vaping. The highest praise I can offer Joyetech here is that currently I no longer have the Exceed D19 in my possession. In fact, it is now with a friend who had tried vaping several times before and never quite managed to find something to stick with. It’s now been 3 weeks and counting, and he still loves it!

So what made him stick with the Exceed compared to others that he tried. Is it down to the battery? the tank? the coils? Well, I think it’s the whole package.

It is a small compact vape pen that has a great tank with lots of airflow options, and coils that produce great flavor. It is also extremely easy to use.

However, in my opinion, although it is one of the best starter kits on the market, it’s still not perfect.

I would have liked to have seen a little better performance from the battery and the 0.5-ohm coils.

I’m also not a fan of the flashing lights that display the battery charge, which is easy to misinterpret. They could have stuck to the simple traffic light system of green = full charge, orange = moderate charge and red = low charge.

And finally, I would have like to have been able to switch coils even while there was juice in the tank.

All that being said, the Exceed D19 by Joyetech is still one of the best starter kits on the market. It is an improvement over their AIO kit and is definitely one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend – again!