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[ez-toc]Probably the most elegant pod mod just hit the vape community and its name is the Caliburn A3S. Right off the bat, as I removed it from its packaging, I could feel the pod mod’s fine laser pattern, and gawked at its lit up animation of its logo. This was a fine pod mod with a ton of pride in the workmanship.
Uwell, one of my favorite vape brands over the years for its powerful box mod and sub-ohm tanks like the Valyrian system, has truly managed to bring the same level of dedication to these lower power, nic-salt vape devices, while keeping the price in line with the overall pod mod market.
The Caliburn A3S Features
Materials: PCTG, Aluminum Alloy
Dimensions: 109.8 mm × 21.3 mm × 11.7 mm
Net Weight: 32.6 g
E-liquid Capacity: 2 ml
Output Power: Maximum 16 W
Pod Specifications:
FeCrAl Meshed 0.8 Ω CALIBURN A3S Refillable Pod (pre-installed)
FeCrAl Meshed 1.0 Ω CALIBURN A3S Refillable Pod (spare)
Battery Capacity: 520 mAh
What’s in the Uwell Caliburn A3S Box?
1x Caliburn A3S Mod Device
1x 0.8-ohm A3S Refillable Pod
1x 1.0-ohm A3S Refillable Pod
1x User Manual
The Caliburn A3S Draw to Activate
There are times when I enjoy a mod with a fire button, and there are times when I prefer a draw to vape system. With the Caliburn A3S the draw to vape system fits. It fits the system because it was designed for elegant simplicity. An ease-of-use I’ve not experienced in a pod mod that can deliver the performance of the Caliburn. Indeed, I was and am impressed.
The A3S Refillable Pods
Before I tell you about these magnificent new pods, a warning. Each pod has a thin, green, film across the magnetic posts. This protects the pod mod by not drawing power while it sits in the box waiting to be sold. Remove the thin film, then fill the pod. Once full, drop it in the mod. OK?
The removable and refillable pods hold a full 2mL of e-liquid, which can be freebase (50/50 VG/PG) or nicotine-salt e-juice. Held in place by a powerful magnet, inserting a pod is easy, quick, and secure. The side-fill system allows for a no fuss no muss fill, and its Pro-FOCS flavor adjustment technology is superb in its function of restoring the best flavor possible, no matter which e-juice you choose to use.
Offered in a high-sub-ohm of 0.8, and a plus ohm of 1.0, both deliver plenty of vapor and flavor for a modern, high performance pod mod.
However, before anyone think for a second that I’m cutting the Caliburn slack, I’ll be the first to tell you, comparing the vapor production of an A3S pod against the latest Uwell Valyrian Sub-Ohm would be foolish.
But comparing the A3S pod performance against every other pod I’ve used in the past 2 years, the A3S comes out on top every time.
Six Beautiful Colors to Choose From
Below is an image of the six colors and color themes the Caliburn A3S is available in. The Ocean Flame is my favorite, while Dave prefers the Midnight Black (naturally) and the Gray. It doesn’t matter what your taste is, the six beautiful colors offer something to everyone.
The Now-Ubiquitous USB-C Charging of the Caliburn A3S
Every vape mod released in the past year to year and a half has been equipped with USB-C charging. If you’re a vaper from way back, you know exactly what this means.
The old days (2015-2020) mods were recharged with a mini-USB port and cable, and it took even the smallest batteries a good long while to recharge.
Most box mods of that era featured single or dual 18650 batteries that were removed and charged in dedicated battery chargers because in-mod charging with mini-USB took way too long. USB-C 2A charging is 20 times faster than mini-USB.
Caliburn A3S and the Small Footprint with Benefits
The small footprint of the Uwell Caliburn A3S, 109.8 mm × 21.3 mm × 11.7 mm, gives the mod an elegance that I simply love, but let’s be honest, the battery has a limited capacity of 520mAh. That’s about 2.5 to 3 hours of vaping. With 2A USB-C you’ll be fully recharged in 20 minutes or less.
(Note* like most 2023 pod mod systems, the Caliburn A3S does not come with a USB-C cable, so make sure to pick one up if you don’t have one. And don’t use an Apple Computer USB-C, it’s quite different than a standard USB-C cable)
Real World Experience Over 3 Full Days
Okay, we ordered all 6 colors, and I immediately grabbed the Ocean Flame pod mod. Using the side-fill I loaded it up with freebase blueberry custard e-juice I’ve been vaping for a few months now. I allowed the e-juice to sit for about half an hour.
Usually I don’t wait that long, 5 minutes is ample really, but I had forgotten to top off the pod mod with power. I attached a standard USB-C cable to the Caliburn A3S (the port is located on the bottom of the mod).
A new pod mod usually comes 95-98% charged, but it’s still a good idea to idea to top it off. And that’s what I did. Since it is a draw-to-vape device, all I had to do is lift to my lips and inhale, as softly or as hard as I wanted (that was nice!)
When I test a new vape, I use my favorite e-liquid so that I can judge the consistency of the flavor across the various pods, tanks, coils, resistances, etc. I tested both the 0.8 and 1.0 ohm pods with very similar results.
Flavor and Caliburn A3S Pods
To test the flavor fidelity, I have my usual vape device with me and the one I am testing. Both fully charged, new coils, and primed. In this test I used the SMOK TFV18 and its 0.22-ohm Kantral Meshed Coil.
I’m not testing for vapor production, that would be silly. I tested for flavor. And there are certain flavor components in my favorite blueberry custard 3mg freebase nicotine that were readily available in BOTH systems.
Naturally, using a 70/30 VG/PG freebase e-juice the flavor is going to be more intense in a true sub-ohm tank pushing 80W of power. That said, for a pod mod, the Caliburn A3S did a great job of delivering 85% of the flavor I get from my powerful sub-ohm.
After the freebase test, I’ll switch out to a 20mg nicotine-salt. These e-juices are much stronger, both in nicotine (though nicotine salts are smoother), and flavor. Nic-Salts have intense flavor, way too intense to use in a sub-ohm, but perfect for a pod mod.
And here is where the Uwell Caliburn A3S really shined. Strong flavor, much more vapor production, and a truly marvelous vape experience.
In Conclusion
Honestly, I am very impressed with this new Caliburn. I like the original one ‘enough’, but the A3S is very impressive. Long battery life, fast recharging, excellent pods, faithful flavor fidelity, and a certain elegance you don’t find in 90% of the pod mods on the market.
I’m giving the Caliburn A3S a A+ rating for a modern, beautiful 2023 Pod Mod.
Julia Hartley-Barnes
Further Reading
Uwell Caliburn Tenet and Tenet Koko Pod Mods Bring Incredible Flavor and Vapor to Everyone
The Unbelievable Uwell Caliburn AK3 13W Pod Kit – A Review
UWELL CROWN POD MOD SYSTEM REVIEW
UWELL EVDILO 200W & VALYRIAN II KIT REVIEW
UWELL VALYRIAN II 2 300W STARTER KIT REVIEW
