UWELL Caliburn A2 Review: Back to Basics!

Product intro and specs
The Caliburn A2 is the latest pod system by Uwell, and the follow-up to the original Caliburn, one of the most popular vapes ever. In fact, it’s the third Caliburn, as Uwell released the G last year—which is a part of another Caliburn sub-line, but more on that later on.

So, here’s what to expect from the A2. It is a beginner-friendly pod system that takes replaceable pods holding up to 2 mL of juice and housing a built-in, newly designed 0.9-ohm coil. It is both draw and button activated, features a 520 mAh battery, and charges through Type-C.

I was never a huge fan of the original, as I was never sure of what it was supposed to be when it comes to the draw. I ended up using it as an RDL vape, but I had better options in this category. But I really liked the G which I reviewed some time ago, so let’s see how the A2 fares against previous Caliburns and if it’s worthy of your attention.

Price: $24.99 (at MyVpro)
Colors: Black, grey, green, blue, orange, iris purple.

Specifications
·Material: Aluminium alloy PA
·Size: 110.1 mm x 21.3 mm x 11.7 mm
·E-liquid Capacity: 2 mL
·Colors: Six colors
·Net weight: 31 grams
·Output wattage: 15 watts
·Battery Capacity: 520 mAh
·Coil specification: FeCrAI UN2 Meshed-H 0.9 ohm

Kit contents
·1 x Uwell Caliburn A2 pod system
·2 x Meshed-H 0.9-ohm pods
·1 x User manual

Build quality and design

Before I dive into the design of the A2, let me offer a quick rundown of the Caliburn lineage. The Caliburn A2 is a direct sequel of the original and part of the A line, while the Caliburn G which came out in 2020 belongs in its own line. The “A” comes from the Greek letter alpha with the line featuring products that are easy to use and more beginner-friendly, while “G” comes from Great/Grand, with products that are more customizable and advanced.

The A2 is practically identical in size to the original Caliburn, and a little bit smaller than the G. It measures at 110.1 mm x 21.3 mm x 11.7 mm and weighs 33 grams with a full pod on. While not the smallest pod vape around, the overall footprint of the A2 is practical and it goes in and out of the pocket pretty easily.

The device comes in six colors, with the standouts being the bright orange one, and the iris purple that was also used in the original Caliburn. From a design perspective, there are two major upgrades over the original; a Type-C charging port and a large window on the front that allows checking juice levels easily. My only minor complaint with the window is that it’s only on one side, so you’ll need a bit of light to see what’s going on inside.

The mouthpiece is also redesigned—it is much thinner than the mouthpiece of the G, and similar in shape but smoother than the mouthpiece of the original Caliburn. In fact, “smooth” is a great word to describe this device. Uwell ditched the textured edges and gave the A2 a more modern look and pleasant hand feel.

Getting started

With the A2 being part of the beginner-friendly A line, operating it is as easy as it gets. Uwell kept the practical top fill of the previous Caliburns, so you just have to slightly push the mouthpiece on the flat side to remove it. Then just push the nozzle of your juice bottle in the red marked hole at the top of the pod, and fill the pod up. Put the mouthpiece back on, set the device aside for five minutes, and you’re good to go.

Five clicks turn the device on and off, and with the A2 being both button and draw-activated, you can choose if you want to push the button for a warmer vape, or just inhale on the mouthpiece. The coils are built in the pod and new pods come with their own mouthpiece, so you can dispose the mouthpiece in the recycle bin and the rest of the pod in the trash when it starts to taste funny—or proactively when a week passes.

Performance

The pods of the A2 are redesigned, and as a result, this device is not compatible with the pods of the original or the G. There’s only one pod option, and it comes with 0.9-ohm coils, featuring what Uwell calls Pro-Focs tech. There’s not much info about this tech on their site, outside of the fact that it focuses on flavor. And it delivers.

The flavor I am getting from the A2 is clean and crisp, and not far from what I’ve been getting from the Innokin Zlide. Pods have gone a long way in the last couple of years, and the A2 is up there with the best of them as far as flavor goes. And that’s especially true with 50/50 juices, even though the device could easily handle the 75VG juice I tried it with.

As for coil life, I started getting bit of juice in the mouth after the sixth or seventh refill, but flavor was not impacted yet. Around the tenth or eleventh refill the coil started giving up and I had to replace it. That’s more than 20 mL of juice, which is not bad at all for a device that takes built-in coils.

One thing I have to note is that the sensor on the A2 sometimes feels like it wants me to add a tiny bit of lung action in there. In fact, in auto-draw mode it feels only a bit tighter than the airy MTL/tight RDL vape I was getting from the original. But when vaping using the button, it is a comfortable and warm MTL with a defined throat hit. Not very tight, but I really feel it’s at or close to the sweet spot for the majority of MTL vapers. I ended up pressing the button most of the times, but I really liked the fact that the two experiences were slightly different, and I did sometimes use the sensor when I wanted a cooler and looser hit.

Back when I reviewed the Caliburn G, I was very happy with the performance of the coils and didn’t have major leaking issues—although from what I’ve seen online, others didn’t have such a positive experience. But on the A2, the contacts are bone dry even when left unused for days. Props to Uwell for nailing their anti-leaking design, and I really hope the pods remain consistent between batches.

Battery life and charging

The Caliburn A2 charges through a Type-C port that’s positioned at the bottom of the device. I timed a full charge at 52 minutes, but note that Uwell claims that it can reach a 90% charge in 35 minutes.

As for battery life, expect to go through approximately one and a half pod on a charge. That’s around 3 mL, which is more or less the industry standard for compact vapes—if not slightly more.

Finally, there is an LED light close to the bottom of the front of the device, and it serves as battery indication:

Green: 60-100%
Blue: 30-60%
Red: 0-30%

Pros / Cons
·Compact and lightweight
·Very easy to use
·Great hand feel
·Juice window is a nice update
·Easy top fill
·Button and draw activated
·Coils last for around 20 mL
·Great flavor
·Satisfying MTL when using the button
·No leaking/condensation
·Good battery life (around 3 mL on a charge)
·Fast charging through Type-C (52 minutes)

·Juice window only visible on one side
·Only one coil option
·A bit of juice in the mouth after 5-6 refills

Gallery

Verdict
While the Caliburn A2 does not bring anything particularly new to the table, it’s a solid vape. It did catch me off guard with its airflow, because I was expecting Uwell to stick to this midway MTL-RDL airflow that people seemed to love on the original Caliburn. And while they kinda did—since in auto-draw mode it vapes a lot like the OG—using it with a button offers some of the most flavorful and warm MTL action I’ve had on a pod vape.

If the original was a bit too airy for your type of MTL, the A2 may be exactly what you’ve been looking for. And if you are a beginner vaper, or just a vaper in the market for a dependable pod system, the A2 deserves consideration. It is practically a leakproof pod system, with solid coils, and a simple but elegant design.