Uwell Caliburn A3 Pod System Kit
The Caliburn name has come to symbolise top quality pod kits so we were looking forward to trying Uwell's latest kit, the Caliburn A3
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by Si Davies
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Uwell Caliburn A3 Pod
Supplied by Uwell for review
https://www.myuwell.com/products/pod-system/caliburn-a3.html
Price TBC but around £20 or lower
The incredibly popular Caliburn pod has had another update with the new Caliburn A3, it isn’t that often I can predict how good the vape will be simply by the name and box, but I’m as sure as a sure thing that the vape quality will be one of the best out there.
- Materials: Aluminium Alloy, PCTG
- Dimensions: 109.8 mm * 21.3 mm * 11.7 mm
- Net Weight: 31g
- E-liquid Capacity: 2ml
- Output Power: Maximum 13W
- Pod Specification:
- FeCrAl Meshed 1.0Ω CALIBURN A3 Refillable Pod
- Battery Capacity: 520mAh
- 15 Minute Fast Charging
- Auto-draw or Button Fire
- Fire Button Lock
Unboxing
The Caliburn A3 comes in a clear-view box that shows the actual device, removing the outer sleeve reveals everything but the manual which is underneath.
Interestingly Uwell have excluded a charging cable which, for me, is welcome as it is far less wasteful. I, for one, have far too many USB-C cables and often bung a dozen to my local charity shop, thankfully Uwell include a second pod which is becoming less common these days due to shrinkflation, I’m glad to see it and I would much prefer a spare pod over a charging cable.
First Impressions and Overview
The Caliburn hasn’t changed a whole lot from the A2 on first impression, but it has a bit more under the lid with the remarkable 15 minute fast charge and a welcome locking fire button.
The main visual difference is at the base which has a hidden LED status light, the pod has also changed with a curved mouthpiece base for a tighter fitting, much of the rest is the same. It has a 520mAh cell, 2ml e-liquid capacity, top-fill pod, and weighs 31g. Interestingly, the wattage output max has decreased to 13 watts but you won’t notice that as the pods ohms determines the wattage anyway and it will never require over 13 watts.
With the new base and smooth rounded off body, the A3 feels a lot more comfortable in the hand, the subtle change of the base made all the difference as it doesn’t feel as sharp. The branding is discreet and etched on both sides; ‘CALIBURN’ on the front and ‘UWELL’ on the back.
Overall it just looks and feels more refined, for such a simple design Uwell have done well to improve it and it ticks all the boxes as a basic pod device. I would have liked adjustable airflow but the fixed airflow is about right for a MTL tight draw.
I was keen to try out the ’15 minute’ fast charge, so I ran it until it stopped vaping (red light flashes) and popped it on charge, it charged in just 15 minutes, exactly as described. After that I tended to charge from low warning and it was taking around 10 minutes, I’m well happy with that!
The pod is a magnetic fit which doesn’t feel all that strong, but the housing is deep so it stays in place well. It is very easy to remove when you want to though, I couldn’t see much difference of the pod’s construction aside from the mouthpiece.
It has a flip-off mouthpiece top-fill design which brought me to my only niggle with the Caliburn A3 as it is an absolute twatter to remove the first time! You really have to force it over and it feels like you are going to break something, brute force is the only way but it immediately annoys you to how difficult it is, the good news is that it gets easier after the first few times and in the end I could simply flip it off with a simple thumb action. Once you have achieved this feat, you are rewarded with an easy top-fill. The fill hole is marked with red silicone and accepts standard 10ml bottle tips, it was easy to fill and view your e-liquid level, the cap pops back on easily.
Controls
There’s little in the way of controls as it is a simple auto-wattage, auto-draw device, but there is a fire button for those that prefer it. I prefer devices with an On/Off button, so this is welcome.
- 5 x Fire = Turns device On/Off
- 2 x Fire = Locks the fire button (auto-draw still works)
That’s all you need to know other than the above image showing the battery status LED
After the ordeal of removing the mouthpiece and allowing the e-liquid to prime the coil, I was very much ready to get vaping.
Performance
There’s something so satisfying with Uwell’s MTL pod kits and you can pretty much rely on the fact that you will always get a top quality vape, the Caliburn A3 is just that, the flavour is superb, the draw has a proper MTL tightness, and the vapour production is reasonably discreet. I had high expectations from this device and the Caliburn A3 easily met them.
It is one of those pods where you can safely say everybody will find it good, this makes it more than a safe bet to recommend to starters, put the right e-liquid in it and it will piss all over any disposable for vape quality and performance.
Battery life was pretty good, I vape quite heavily and it would last me the majority of a full day. It’s hard to quantify as we all vape differently, but it lasts around 2ml if that helps, but it was the charging time that made the Caliburn better than a lot of other pods, I never found myself having to go without for very long, even a top-up charge only took a few minutes. I now want 15 minute charging in ALL my vapes now though.
The annoyance of the top-fill is a shame, though it did get much easier when you knew you would have to face it again on the next pod, I had hoped that the next pod would be easier but I had the same epic battle with that too. Hopefully Uwell will address this issue with future pod stocks.
Pros
- That awesome Uwell vape quality
- 15 minute fast charging
- 2 pods included
- Improved comfort
- Fire button lock
- E-liquid view window
- Long pod lifespan
Cons
- Difficult mouthpiece removal
Aaaargh! Had it not been for that tricky mouthpiece, the Caliburn A3 would have been faultless.
Final Thoughts and Score
I wouldn’t call the mouthpiece removal a deal-breaker as the pros far outweigh this single issue, get passed that and you will be rewarded with one of the finest MTL pod vapes out there. The Caliburn A3 goes into my top 5 simple auto-draw pods and is one of the few I would recommend to starters.
Score: 8/10 – Feel the (Cali)Burn
Si Davies
Reviewer at POTVMy background is Engineering and Professional Photography. Mostly from POTV users knowledge I learned so much about pretty much all styles of vaping and equipment, Cloud Chasing, Squonking, Mouth To Lung, Direct To Lung, Pods, Mechs, Rebuild-able tanks and atomisers etc, and have experience with many many devices and atomisers, it's become a hobby and enjoy trying out the latest gear. I like to think my reviews are plain speaking and informative without getting too technical, if I have to resort to reading the manual then I don't consider it user friendly!
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