Uwell

Why the Caliburn line matters

Most pod systems are designed around producing vapour. The Caliburn was designed around producing a tight, restricted draw that feels like drawing on a cigarette, and that turned out to be what a large number of people actually wanted.

The practical consequence is that these devices work properly with the higher nicotine strengths Canadian retail permits. A tight draw with a high resistance coil at 20 mg salt nicotine is satisfying rather than overwhelming, which is exactly the combination a recent ex smoker needs.

Build quality is the other half of the reputation. The devices are simple, the pods seat cleanly, and the failure modes are the ordinary ones rather than anything peculiar to the brand. Our best vape for beginners in Canada guide covers why this configuration suits people leaving cigarettes.

The Caliburn G3 and A3S

The G3 Pod Kit at $27.99 is the more featured of the two, with adjustable airflow and a replaceable coil that sits inside a reusable pod. That separation matters for running cost: the pod housing lasts months and you replace only the small coil insert.

The A3S at $24.99 is the simpler device, with the coil built into the pod so the whole pod is replaced together. Fewer parts, less to think about, slightly higher cost per week.

Both take a tight mouth to lung draw and both charge over USB C. The choice between them is really a choice about whether you want adjustability and a lower running cost, or fewer moving parts.

Pods, coils and getting the right ones

This is where ordering mistakes happen, because the line has run through several generations. G3 Replacement Pods are $11.99 for two and G3 Replacement Coils are $14.99 for four. A2 Replacement Pods are $12.99 for four and A2 Replacement Coils are $13.99 for four.

Pods and coils are not interchangeable across generations even when they look similar. Check the exact model name on your device before ordering, since opened packs cannot be returned. Our listings name the compatible device explicitly for this reason.

Buy a pack ahead rather than one at a time. Having a spare removes the temptation to keep using a coil that has already gone past its best, which is how people end up inhaling scorched cotton for longer than necessary. The wider replacement coils range covers the general principles.

The Crown 5 and Valyrian 3 sub ohm tanks

At the other end of the catalogue sit two sub ohm tanks. The Crown 5 at $29.99 and the Valyrian 3 at $34.99 are built for direct lung vaping at much higher power, and they belong on a regulated mod rather than on a pod device.

These are a completely different proposition from the Caliburn line. Wide airflow, low resistance coils, considerably more vapour, and they demand much lower nicotine. Putting 20 mg salt nicotine into one of these delivers several times the intended dose and is genuinely unpleasant.

They also want thicker high VG liquid rather than the thin 50/50 a pod uses. Our vape juice range states the ratio on everything we sell, and the vape tanks range covers how airflow and coil resistance work together.

The Canadian Uwell range compared

Eight products across the pod line and the tanks, with prices as listed.

Read the last column carefully. The pod devices and the tanks want opposite ends of the nicotine range, and mixing them up is the most uncomfortable mistake in vaping.

Priming, and the day one mistake

Whether you are fitting a coil into a G3 pod or a whole A2 pod, the cotton has to be saturated before the coil is ever fired. Skipping this carbonises the cotton permanently and no amount of liquid afterwards will lift the taste.

Put a few drops of liquid directly into each visible juice port and onto any exposed wick. Fit it, fill the pod, and leave it standing for a full ten minutes. Take a few draws with no power if the device allows it, then start vaping normally.

This is the single most common way a new Uwell pod is ruined on the first day, and it is entirely avoidable. Ten minutes of patience routinely turns a two minute coil into a two week one.

One further habit is worth adopting on the G3 in particular. Because the coil is a separate insert, it is easy to fit a fresh one into a pod that still has old liquid residue in it. Rinse and dry the pod housing whenever you change coil or flavour, or the previous liquid will haunt the new one for days and you will blame the coil for it.

Using the airflow control properly

The G3 has an adjustable airflow ring, and most people set it once and never touch it again. That is a missed opportunity, because the right setting changes with the coil, the liquid and even the temperature.

Close it completely, then open it a fraction at a time while drawing, and stop at the point where the draw no longer feels strained. That is usually very close to the flavour peak. A tighter setting concentrates flavour and warms the vapour, a more open one cools it and increases volume.

If the device gurgles, open the airflow slightly. If vapour feels thin and cold, close it. A coil that felt right when fresh often wants closing slightly as it ages, which buys you a few more days before it needs replacing.

Common Uwell problems and fixes

A pod that reads as not connected, or a device that fires intermittently, is almost always condensation in the pod well insulating the contacts. Remove the pod and wipe both the pod contacts and the well with a dry cotton bud.

A burnt taste on a new coil is a priming failure. A burnt taste on a coil that has been fine for a week is normal ageing. A burnt taste that keeps happening on new coils means the liquid is too thick for the resistance, and the fix is a thinner 50/50 base rather than more coils.

Leaking from a pod is usually overfilling with no air gap left, liquid poured into the central airway rather than down the side of the fill port, or draws that are too hard. Our walkthrough at why a vape stops hitting covers the diagnostic order.

How Uwell compares with other brands we stock

Against OXVA, the closest comparison in our range, both build refillable pod systems aimed at people who want control and a low running cost. OXVA leans slightly more towards adjustability and OXVA Xlim has the broader coil range, while Caliburn has the stronger reputation for a tight mouth to lung draw.

Against Vaporesso and Voopoo, which also field strong pod lines, the difference is mostly ecosystem and coil platform rather than quality.

Against a closed system such as STLTH or Vuse, Uwell asks you to handle liquid and prime coils in exchange for choosing any liquid you like and paying far less per millilitre. Against disposables, the saving is larger again.

Canadian availability and the rules that apply

Every Uwell product we list sits at or under the federal 20 mg/mL nicotine cap set out in Tobacco and Vaping Products Act. That is why Canadian versions are not directly comparable to the same model sold in markets with a higher ceiling, which is worth knowing if you are reading international reviews.

Because these are refillable devices, the nicotine cap applies to the liquid you buy for them rather than to the hardware itself. Everything in our vape juice range sits at or under the federal ceiling, and provincial flavour rules are tracked in vaping laws by province.

We operate an age gate on every visit and ship only inside Canada in Canadian dollars. Carriers, timings and tracking are on our shipping and delivery page and faults on our returns policy page. Anything containing a lithium cell travels in cabin baggage rather than checked luggage when flying, as Transport Canada lithium battery rules requires, and our guide to taking a vape on a plane covers the rest.

Common questions

What is the difference between the Caliburn G3 and A3S?

The G3 at $27.99 has adjustable airflow and a replaceable coil inside a reusable pod, so the pod housing lasts months and you replace only the small coil. The A3S at $24.99 has the coil built into the pod, so the whole pod is replaced together. Fewer parts, slightly higher running cost.

Are Caliburn pods interchangeable between generations?

No. Pods and coils are not cross compatible across generations even when they look similar. Check the exact model name on your device before ordering, since opened packs cannot be returned.

Why is my Caliburn not detecting the pod?

Almost always condensation in the pod well insulating the contacts. Remove the pod and wipe both the pod contacts and the well with a dry cotton bud. It looks exactly like a dying battery and very rarely is one.

Can I use the same liquid in a Caliburn and a Crown 5 tank?

No, and this is the most important point on this page. The Caliburn is a tight mouth to lung device that suits higher salt nicotine strengths in a thin 50/50 base. The Crown 5 is a sub ohm tank needing low strength freebase in a thick high VG liquid.

How long should a Caliburn coil last?

One to two weeks with proper priming and a suitable liquid. Sweetened dessert and candy flavours caramelise onto the coil and can halve that. If new coils keep burning within days, the liquid is too thick for the resistance rather than the coils being faulty.

Do I need to prime a new coil or pod?

Yes, and skipping it is the usual way a new pod is ruined on day one. Put liquid directly into each juice port and onto the exposed wick, fill the pod, then wait a full ten minutes before the first puff.