Building on Success
Uwell accomplished the impossible by improving on the success of Caliburn with the new Caliburn G.
Mike Huml
Uwell’s follow-up to the sleeper hit, the Caliburn, is every bit as good as its predecessor and more. The Caliburn G builds upon the success of the original Caliburn and represents the culmination of all the best pod system innovations to date. In terms of both features and performance, the Caliburn G does not lack in any respect.
The Caliburn G is a lightweight pod system that features both an automatic draw and a manual, button-activated draw. The battery is rated at 690 mAh, which is surprisingly adequate for all-day vaping, and it’s quickly charged via a USB-C cable. Each 2 mL pod is refillable and replaceable, and the 0.8 ohm mesh coil can be replaced as well.
Additionally, the Caliburn G has two airflow options depending on how the pod is inserted, one for mouth-to-lung vaping and the other for direct-lung vaping. The pod can be refilled quickly and easily from the top, and the Caliburn G is free of any leaks, gurgling and spitback of any kind. All in all, the Caliburn G might very well be the most consistent, easy-to-use, convenient and well-performing pod system on the market.
The original Caliburn was surely ahead of its time, and the Caliburn G offers some key refinements that really give it the edge. The Caliburn G incorporates a single button that can be used to fire the device or toggle the power with five quick clicks. Whether utilizing the button or the automatic draw, a multicolored LED will illuminate at the tip to indicate that the coil is receiving power. This LED will cycle between red, blue and green depending on the remaining battery life.
When above 60 percent power, the light will display green. When between a 30 percent and 60 percent charge, the light will illuminate blue, and when below 30 percent, the LED will be red. When charging, the LED will pulse or breathe in the same color corresponding to battery life until fully charged when the light will illuminate as solid green. A full charge can be achieved in under one hour, and the device can continue to be used while it is charging.
At 690 mAH, the battery lasts a surprisingly long time and should be capable of a full day of use. If not, charging is extremely quick, and downtime is kept to a minimum since it can be used while charging. Additionally, by using the increasingly popular USB-C port, there is a good chance that the Caliburn G can be charged with the same cable as most any modern mobile phone or device, further increasing convenience.
As far as appearances go, the Caliburn G features vertical lines machined into the matte, anodized aluminum body that give the device an attractive and unique but not over-the-top aesthetic. It’s also strangely satisfying to hold as the texture of the lines feels good under one’s finger. It’s a small thing and one that goes about largely unspoken, but it can be important that a vapor device feels good to hold. And as a bonus, the Caliburn G’s finish is virtually impervious to fingerprints. Save for any blemishes caused by dropping the device, the Caliburn G will look like new indefinitely.
Both the Caliburn G pods and coils are replaceable; however, each new pod will not actually include a pre-installed coil. One could feasibly never purchase new pods and only ever replace coils on a regular basis. However, replacing pods as well as coils allows the user to swap e-liquids more easily with no overlap in flavor. The coil is very easily replaced by removing the pod, flipping it upside down, sliding out the coil and inserting a new one.
The base of the coil and the corresponding area on the bottom of the pod are asymmetrical so that it can only be inserted one way. While the coil is replaced from the bottom, it is refilled from the top, and as such, it can be done without removing the pod. By simply applying leverage to the broad side of the mouthpiece, the tip can be popped off to reveal the fill port.
The fill port is kept sealed with a silicone flap to eliminate leaking due to a lack of pressure, which gives way when a bottle is inserted for filling. The opposite side features a pinhole to release the pressure when the pod is filled so that e-liquid does not get backed up and cause a mess. The tip snaps on and off, and a clear window on the narrow side of the battery section reveals how much e-liquid is remaining.
The pod also snaps into the battery section without magnets, using grooves and protrusions in the inside of the battery and the outside of the pod, respectively, to hold everything together securely. It doesn’t have the same satisfaction as the smoothness of a magnet, but the pod is held in place much more securely and won’t weaken over time.
The pod’s airflow inlet lies on the bottom of the pod on only one side and receives airflow via a small hole in the side of the battery section. This simple system is what allows the user to choose between open airflow for restricted lung hits and tighter airflow for mouth-to-lung drags. If the hole in the pod and the hole in the battery are on the same side, this allows for open airflow.
By reversing the direction of the pod, the pod’s air hole is now on the opposite side of the battery’s air hole, which introduces more resistance and therefore a tighter draw. The difference between the two airflow settings is admittedly small, but combined with the actual vaping performance as a whole, it ends up being a perfect system.
Performance is generally the most important aspect of any vapor device, and the Caliburn G makes large strides in a very subtle way in this regard. It’s been known since the inception of vaping that most devices are not to be used in the same way as traditional analog cigarettes. Smoking generally involves fast, sharp drags followed by a fast inhale.
Conversely, vaping, particularly mouth-to-lung vaping, requires long and slow pulls to give the coil time to heat up and start producing vapor. That is not the case when it comes to the Caliburn G. This device can be used exactly like an analog cigarette, and other than the physical shape, it feels nearly identical to smoking.
The airflow is similar, but the airflow turbulence is dead-on accurate. The 0.8 ohm mesh coil heats up instantly, and drags can be sharp and quick. Every pod system feels different, but for anyone looking for the best vaping experience to simulate smoking, this is it. The vapor production is more than adequate, the throat hit is significant yet smooth and the overall feel is spot on.
As for the direct-lung airflow setting, this is very good as well. Naturally, it can’t be compared to smoking, but it works just as well as anyone could expect. Even with the increased airflow, e-liquid never backs up or leaks into the mouthpiece. Full inhales aren’t feasibly possible like with any device that allows for restricted lung hits but also aren’t necessarily due to the almost nonexistent ramp-up time.
If necessary, using the manual switch is always an option both for direct-lung and mouth-to-lung vaping styles. To top it all off, no matter which way the Caliburn G is vaped, flavor representation is just about perfect as well. The Caliburn G is fantastic for any vaper, from first-time users to veterans. Usage is just about as simple as it can possibly get, and performance is perfect all around. Battery life is adequate, charging is fast, refilling is clean and easy, swapping coils is a snap, and the whole package is very intuitive.
In all fairness, if there were to be one negative aspect attributed to the Caliburn G, it would be that the button protrudes slightly, which could lead to the occasional accidental firing of the coil if the battery is not powered off. Even to say that this is a minor gripe would be an overstatement, but in the interest of safety, it could be argued that a button that sits flush to the rest of the body would be preferable.
There is absolutely no good reason to pass on the Caliburn G. Uwell is a reputable company with a history of supporting its products long-term, and the device itself is nearly perfect. For as well received and appreciated as the original Caliburn was among vapers, it’s truly a feat that it could be improved upon at all, but the Caliburn G stands as evidence that it was possible. A series of small changes and tweaks only served to enhance the Caliburn design, and vapers are left with a pod system that will be hard to beat for the foreseeable future.