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(With the loss of Google Plus, I am struggling to get visibility for these reviews back up. I'm working on finding replacement platforms. In the meantime, on I go.)
This review is for the newest (and most talked about) pod system. The Uwell Caliburn is raved about as big competition for the Juul. I'm using it for the first time today and the raving is warranted. Right off the bat, the $27-$35 Caliburn is cheaper than the $35-$50 Juul. Make sure that you shop around though because prices right now are varying wildly (and this is why I'm not linking to any specific shop, including where I got this one.)
I'll back up right now to say that Juul not only has competition but serious competition. Most people first coming off cigarettes want something to sate the nic craving and soothe their budget. After all, one of the benefits of quitting smoking is saving money. It's ridiculous to go broke when switching to vaping.
PROS:
1. One of the things a lot of people like about the Caliburn is that it can be button-fired or just mouth-drawn. I find that there is more of a flavor release when using the button. Also, I think most vapers are just used to that method.
2. In comparing this to the Juul, I like that you can hit this mouth-to-lung or direct-to-lung. With the Juul, DTL is not as easy or nice, in my opinion. That leads to the next point.
3. The draw (or airflow) on the Caliburn is the perfect balance between tight and airy. I found the Juul to be tight which is why it was not a decent DTL device. And I get it, a lot of people reserve DTL for sub ohm devices and not pod systems. I like to switch between the two styles. MTL reminds me of smoking cigarettes, but DTL seems to give me a bigger nicotine hit when I am just doing one or hits.
4. One of my favorite things about this system is the top-fill design. You basically pop off the top of the pod and use one of the two holes underneath. I had no spills and leaking like with some of the side fill devices.
5. The device is extremely light and comfortable to hold. Again, more so than any other pod device I've used this is akin to the Juul. The Infinx, for instance, feels bigger and heavier.
6. Even with salt nic, the cloud vapor was better on this than with the Juul. One of my peeves with using the Juul right after giving up cigarettes was the lack of vapor. That was a big deal for me because I really wanted to recreate the experience of having an actual cigarette. Since then, I find that I love the vapor more than the nicotine - which I often go without. I'm not a cloud fanatic, but vapor is part of the satisfaction for me.
6. Uwell did a great job with the appearance of this device. It's sleek and comes in some nice colors. The blue looked a lot more like teal out of the box. There's not much difference in hue from seeing the product photo on screen but... I do like the color though. (I haven't received the pink one yet.) Also, although the finish has a slight shine to it, it's matte and isn't a fingerprint magnet.
7. Probably the biggest pro is that this uses refillable pods. With the kit, you get a spare so you can switch between flavors if you want or not freak out about losing one. And the pods hold 2ml of liquid (versus 0.7ml in standard Juul pods).
CONS:
The one and only real negative I want to point out is that the top is so freaking hard to remove. Other reviews mention that this gets easier with some. That makes sense but I damn near erased my fingerprints trying to remove the cap for the first fill.
The minor negative is that the view window for the liquid level is useless. In the right light, I could kind of see the liquid level but it's easier to just pop out the pod for a glance. Like I said, minor.
Overall, I agree that this is one of the best pod systems out there. I think it's a better alternative than the Juul for people getting away from cigarettes. The lower price combined with the refillable pods puts this so far above the Juul that I see no reason to bother with the other device.
Since I started using sub ohm (and squonk) devices, I found that I liked them more than I did the pod systems. This Caliburn is the one pod system I can see myself often choosing over the sub ohms. I like it a lot and it's going to be my on-the-go when I don't want to lug the heavier sub ohms around.
By the way, in some forums, people are asking if it's feasible to use anything other than salt nic in the Caliburn. A few people have mentioned that they use 50/50 pg/vg juice and I've seen one person say that they have used 70/30 juice. The Caliburn coil is designed for nic salt so that's what I plan to stick with. I've thought about testing the spare pod using some 50/50 juice but don't want to ruin it. If I take the chance, I will update this review with the results.
Peace
-- Free
STOP: this post is ONLY for those of legal age for nicotine use.
See the guide for state-by-state regulations
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| state-by-state regulations |
I'll back up right now to say that Juul not only has competition but serious competition. Most people first coming off cigarettes want something to sate the nic craving and soothe their budget. After all, one of the benefits of quitting smoking is saving money. It's ridiculous to go broke when switching to vaping.
 |
| Came fully charged, by the way |
1. One of the things a lot of people like about the Caliburn is that it can be button-fired or just mouth-drawn. I find that there is more of a flavor release when using the button. Also, I think most vapers are just used to that method.
2. In comparing this to the Juul, I like that you can hit this mouth-to-lung or direct-to-lung. With the Juul, DTL is not as easy or nice, in my opinion. That leads to the next point.3. The draw (or airflow) on the Caliburn is the perfect balance between tight and airy. I found the Juul to be tight which is why it was not a decent DTL device. And I get it, a lot of people reserve DTL for sub ohm devices and not pod systems. I like to switch between the two styles. MTL reminds me of smoking cigarettes, but DTL seems to give me a bigger nicotine hit when I am just doing one or hits.
4. One of my favorite things about this system is the top-fill design. You basically pop off the top of the pod and use one of the two holes underneath. I had no spills and leaking like with some of the side fill devices.
5. The device is extremely light and comfortable to hold. Again, more so than any other pod device I've used this is akin to the Juul. The Infinx, for instance, feels bigger and heavier.6. Even with salt nic, the cloud vapor was better on this than with the Juul. One of my peeves with using the Juul right after giving up cigarettes was the lack of vapor. That was a big deal for me because I really wanted to recreate the experience of having an actual cigarette. Since then, I find that I love the vapor more than the nicotine - which I often go without. I'm not a cloud fanatic, but vapor is part of the satisfaction for me.
6. Uwell did a great job with the appearance of this device. It's sleek and comes in some nice colors. The blue looked a lot more like teal out of the box. There's not much difference in hue from seeing the product photo on screen but... I do like the color though. (I haven't received the pink one yet.) Also, although the finish has a slight shine to it, it's matte and isn't a fingerprint magnet.7. Probably the biggest pro is that this uses refillable pods. With the kit, you get a spare so you can switch between flavors if you want or not freak out about losing one. And the pods hold 2ml of liquid (versus 0.7ml in standard Juul pods).
CONS:
The one and only real negative I want to point out is that the top is so freaking hard to remove. Other reviews mention that this gets easier with some. That makes sense but I damn near erased my fingerprints trying to remove the cap for the first fill.
The minor negative is that the view window for the liquid level is useless. In the right light, I could kind of see the liquid level but it's easier to just pop out the pod for a glance. Like I said, minor.
Overall, I agree that this is one of the best pod systems out there. I think it's a better alternative than the Juul for people getting away from cigarettes. The lower price combined with the refillable pods puts this so far above the Juul that I see no reason to bother with the other device.Since I started using sub ohm (and squonk) devices, I found that I liked them more than I did the pod systems. This Caliburn is the one pod system I can see myself often choosing over the sub ohms. I like it a lot and it's going to be my on-the-go when I don't want to lug the heavier sub ohms around.
By the way, in some forums, people are asking if it's feasible to use anything other than salt nic in the Caliburn. A few people have mentioned that they use 50/50 pg/vg juice and I've seen one person say that they have used 70/30 juice. The Caliburn coil is designed for nic salt so that's what I plan to stick with. I've thought about testing the spare pod using some 50/50 juice but don't want to ruin it. If I take the chance, I will update this review with the results.
Peace
-- Free
