Manufacturer: Shenzen IJoy Technology Co. ltd
Model: Maxo Zenith
Country of Origin: China
Max power: 300W
Batteries: 3x 18650 li-ion cells
Working Voltage: 9.3V - 12.6V
Variable Voltage Selection: 2.7V - 6.2V
Resistance range: ? not documented
Maximum current: 50A
Type: VV Potentiometer based mod
Chipset: Iwepal
Dimensions: 88mm height x 50.5mm x 40.7mm
Price: £30-£50 I paid: £22 + free batteries + free ejuice
Condition: New
Source: Private ebay seller
Shipped from: UK
Zenith with lightning dial
Potentiometer based regulated box mods have made a bit of a come back recently it would appear.
The Hexohm and Tesla Invader III are perhaps the best known VV mods to hit the market in recent times.
It wasnt that long ago when all you could buy were variable voltage devices and then variable wattage devices came in.
Now it seems that VV devices are back in vogue and more specifically ones with potentiometers on them.
The relative success of Tesla invader III mod in the last year or so has given other manufacturers the impetous to release their own including the likes of IJoy.
Here is the IJoy Maxo Zenith. A simple variable voltage device that is capable of some serious high power.
No OLED display, no temperature control, no wattage control, just straight voltage selection via a mechanical potentiometer. Its big, its heavy and it packs a punch!
Huge top firing power button - with battery indicator LED
What you get with the Zenith is a comfortable to hold regulated device thats capable of driving even the wackiest of chunky coils. No need for a fancy screen or chip to sap the power. its just straight voltage to the 510. (with a wee touch of regulation)
Its not a mod for the beginner thats for sure. It requires a bit of respect.
So just how well is it made?
Battery orientation scribed on the bottom
Well build-wise, the zenith is as good as you are going to get at this price point. The main material used here is Zinc alloy if Im not mistaken. Its strong, weighty and feels like you paid a lot more for it. There doesnt seem to be much in the way of cheap plastic anywhere on the mod except for the lightning dial, fire button and the main battery tray.
The overall design of the mod is kinda snazzy. along each side are strips of silver mesh which act as the PCB vents which actually look quite good. The word 'Zenith' is written along the front and the word 'IJoy' is cut into the battery cover to act as battery venting. Overall I really like the design.
A decent battery tray and compartment cover
The battery tray has plenty of space to accommodate the three 18650's which are held firmly in place by large gold plated contacts. The negative contacts are springy enough to be able to insert and remove the batteries with relative easy. There isnt a pull ribbon inside the compartment to aid removal but I dont think one is needed with this mod. Positive and negative polarity symbols are etched into the tray to help with orientating the cells - although if you get them the wrong way round the mod will flash the red LED a few times to let you know.
The battery compartment cover is made from a solid piece of metal and weighs a fair bit. Im not sure if its made from Zinc alloy or not? certainly feels like it.
The cover fits nice and snug against the mod with little to no movement once its on. Its held firmly in place by four strong magnets. There isnt much chance that the cover will accidentally fall off or anything.
Batteries fit nice and snug in the mod
The Zenith is something of a pseudo-mech mod in the way that it has direct power straight from the batteries but still has some form of regulated protection built in.
As well as having low resistance, high resistance, PCB overheating and reverse polarity protection the zenith also buzzes and vibrates if it detects a short circuit! how cool is that? I certainly havent seen a vibrating/buzzing mod before.
The zenith also flashes a red LED if it detects a problem.
Strange green LED lights on either side
What were IJoy thinking when they came up with the green LED lights on the side thing? They cant be switched off!
So if you are like me and dont go in for all the flashing lights thing you are essentially screwed. This aspect of the mod has to be a negative point in my opinion. Although to be fair its a minor issue and perhaps Im nit picking a bit.
IJoy should have included an on/off light switch though - they missed a trick there.
Now theres nothing at all wrong with the LED power indicator on the top of the device. That LED light is actually useful.
It gives the user a decent indication as to the charge state of the batteries, changing from green to red as the batteries run down. It also acts as a warning indicator should anything go wrong. It works quite well.
With the Steamcrave aromamizer
Its a good idea to know what your tank wattage limit is before firing the zenith. And as the mod doesnt have any kind of readout it might be a good idea to brush up on your ohms law and work out the right wattage yourself. This mod is clearly not for a beginner or someone who doesnt know how mods work.
That said, its a really easy mod to use once you know what you are doing.
Good Points
- Very powerful
- easy to use
- long lasting battery life
- good level of protection - including the buzzer/vibration feature
- cheap to buy
- Coloured LED battery indication
Bad Points
- The green LED side strips? (some people will like it though)
- Cant think of any bad points to be honest
Rating: 4 out of 5
As a first venture into the VV potentiometer scene im actually very impressed by the Zenith.
It has more than enough power for what most vapers would require and the battery life is simply stunning. The silly green LED strip lights down the side are a distraction and wont be to everyones taste and thats why this device doesnt get a full 5 marks. On the whole though the zenith is a very powerful mod at a very reasonable price.