Uwell Caliburn AZ3 Pod System Review

Whether you are a seasoned vaper or someone just entering the world of vaping, chances are you have heard of, or owned, one of the many Caliburn pod devices from Uwell. 

The Caliburn AZ3 looks a lot different than what I’m used to when I think of “Caliburn”. Most of the Caliburn series is tall and slender, however, the AZ3 looks like it was cut in half and glued back-to-back to create a shorter, cube-like shape. The AZ3 is most similar to Uwell’s GZ2, which was released at the same time.

The Caliburn AZ3 comes with two Caliburn AZ3 pods, a 0.8Ω A3 pod and a 1.2Ω A3 pod. The device is compatible with the newer A3S line of pods as well. Each Caliburn A3 pod holds 2ml of ejuice.

The AZ3 has a built-in 750mAh battery that recharges using Type-C charging. This is a nice upgrade from the 500mAh battery in previous Caliburn devices. But is the AZ3 good enough to replace your current, daily pod vape?

The CALIBURN AZ3 was sent to me directly by UWELL for the purpose of this review. This does not in any way affect my opinions or thoughts on the device.

Box Contents

• 1 x Caliburn AZ3
• 1 x 0.8Ω Caliburn A3 Pod
• 1 x 1.0Ω Caliburn A3 Pod
• 1 x Type-C Cable
• 1 x User Manual

Specifications

• Dimensions: 68.9mm x 23.8mm x 23.6mm
• Weight: 39.5g
• 2ml Ejuice capacity
• 750mAh Battery
• Type-C Charging
• Uses Caliburn A3 pod system but is compatible with the newer A3S pods as well
• Tight MTL draw

Design & Build Quality

The new Caliburn AZ3 is incredibly small. Looking at it from the front, it looks like the Caliburn A3S, just cut in half. Even though it is small, it is on the chunky side. The Caliburn AZ3 is 68.9mm tall, 23.8mm wide and 23.6mm deep with the pod installed. 

Due to its short and chunky shape, the device is great for tossing in your pocket or bag to take on-the-go. The AZ3 also features a handy lanyard hole for those who prefer to wear their vapes. Thanks to its lightweight design and small size, the AZ3 is perfect for this.

The Caliburn AZ3 is available in six beautiful colors. There’s your standard black, gray and silver colors, as well as pink, red and blue. The colors are all very nice and make the device pop, all while not being too in-your-face.

For this review, I received the pink color and it is beautiful. The paint looks amazing and I’ve had no signs of peeling or chipping on the aluminum alloy body. 

On the front of the device there is a cutout window to view your ejuice level. Below this window there is a Caliburn logo. This logo is an LED that lights up when you draw on the device to let you know your battery level. The logo lights up sequentially from the bottom of the device to the top, which looks pretty neat. 

On both sides of the Caliburn AZ3 there are deep grooves that help to add grip, while still keeping the device very comfortable to hold. On either side, hidden in the grooves, there are two small airflow holes. 

The lanyard hole can be found at the very top of the device, opposite the pod. As I mentioned before, the AZ3 is the perfect device for those who like to wear their vapes. It is very small and very light as well. 

Centered on the back of the device, there is a graffiti style logo. I had no idea what it read at first, but upon checking out the website I can see that it says Zega. From what I gather, Zega refers to the new design, such as the new shape and size of the device. The font is printed in a dark font that doesn’t stick out too much, which is nice. 

The pod slides into the device seamlessly and connects using magnets. The magnets are not so strong that they pull the pod into place, but are strong enough to make sure that the pod does not move when installed.

Each pod holds 2ml of ejuice and can be refilled by removing the top cap and filling through the opening. You can fill this pod while it is still installed in the device, which is convenient. The cap can be a little difficult to remove, but with a little extra force and the correct angle it will come off. I found pushing the cap back and then off to work best.

The pod is completely clear and visible through the opening on the device. This allows you to track your ejuice level and (hopefully) prevent any unwanted dry hits.

On the bottom of the Caliburn AZ3 is the Type-C charging port and two small airflow holes. 

Features

Like most simple pod devices, there isn’t a whole lot going on with the AZ3. It is very user friendly and great for beginners. With a few simple steps you can be ready to use this device and start vaping. Simply fill your pod with ejuice and wait for the pod to saturate, then pop the pod into the device and draw to begin vaping.

The biggest feature (and I suppose, change) with the AZ3 would be the shape and size of the device. There have been plenty of Caliburn devices to reach the market, but there are none that look quite like the AZ3. With most Caliburn’s featuring a tall and slender, or short and flat square shape, the AZ3 is a completely different look. 

There are no complicated buttons to worry about. Unfortunately, with its simplicity there is also no adjustable wattage or airflow controls. With the AZ3 you get what you get, but in my opinion, it’s good the way that it is.

The thing that confuses me the most from Uwell is their pod selection for each device. For example, with the Caliburn A3 you received A3 pods. That makes sense right, but stay with me.

The Caliburn A3S came with all new side filling pods as people were not a fan of the top filling pods. This is mainly because it was impossible to remove the caps. So, new device, new pod. Everyone is happy. 

Here’s where I get lost; why does the AZ3 come with pods from the A3? They are still impossible to remove the cap from and the side filling pods are just easier to use overall. I even pulled out the Caliburn A3S to see if the pod is compatible, and it is. So why not sell the new AZ3 with the new A3S pod that is easier to use? We may never know.

Battery Life & Charging

The Caliburn AZ3 comes with a built-in 750mAh battery which is absolutely massive for this little guy. Previous versions of the Caliburn, such as the A3 and A3S, both came with a 500mAh battery so this is a great upgrade. As someone who vapes quite a bit, and would consider themselves to be a heavy vaper, I was able to get two days of vaping with the AZ3 before needing to recharge.

When it comes to charging, the AZ3 does not disappoint. Its 2A fast-charging allowed me to fully charge from a completely dead battery in around 20 minutes. This is extremely fast and just great overall as there is little down time. 

The battery level of the device is communicated by the LED light on the front of the device. The following colors tell you where your battery level is at: 

• Green: 60-100%
• Blue: 30-59%
• Red: 0-29% 

Performance

As I have mentioned before, the pods that come with the Caliburn AZ3 are nothing new and I have used them in previous devices. But even though they are good and deliver a satisfying draw, I couldn’t help but wish that the AZ3 came with the side filled A3S pods instead.

If I continue to use this device, then when the time comes to replace the pods I will be purchasing the A3S pods that allow me to easily fill using the side fill port. I just can’t get over how hard it is to remove the cap. 

The Caliburn AZ3 delivers excellent flavor and the draw is perfect for me. The draw is neither too tight nor too loose and is just perfectly in the middle. There’s a lot of vapor for the small size of the device, and the nicotine satisfaction is there no matter if you’re using low strength freebase ejuices or high strength nicotine salts.

While using this device for testing, I didn’t have any issues with leaking, nor any condensation pooling in the device. The AZ3 has been hassle-free and hasn’t malfunctioned or given me any trouble during my time with it. Reliability has always been a strong-suit of Uwell’s devices and the AZ3 upholds that reputation.

Verdict

The new Caliburn AZ3 is a great little device. The small and more compact design seems to be the biggest upgrade, as well as an increase in battery size which is always welcome. 

However, the con for me is that they have packaged this all new device with the older, top filled pods when they could have included the newer, side-filled pods (which are compatible with the AZ3).

It feels like they fixed the issue with the pods being hard fill, then went backwards with this device. Don’t get me wrong though, the performance of the A3 pods is really great, but they are so difficult to open to fill.

Of course, I realize that this is just my opinion on the pods and that some people may actually prefer the top-filled pods because they are worried about leaking. However, having used the side-filled pods myself with the A3S, leaking was not an issue that I faced.

If you are in the market for a new device and want something simple and easy to use, but also small, light and super portable, then I suggest getting the Caliburn AZ3. I would also suggest picking up a pack of A3S pods and saving yourself some hassle when it comes time to fill and refill the pod.

Easily recommended!

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