Thanks to America’s war on vaping, the UWELL Caliburn – AKA one of the best pod vapes ever made – is no longer available to buy. So what should you get instead?
When it first hit the market, UWELL’s Caliburn pod vape was an instant hit. Loved by reviewers and consumers alike, the UWELL Caliburn went on to become pod vape royalty.
And when you consider the sheer number of pod vapes released during the past two years, the fact the Caliburn is still considered the best should tell you everything you need to know about just how good this pod vape was.
And Then The FDA Killed It…
Update: UWELL has released a new Caliburn; it’s called the Caliburn G and it is WAY better than the original. Check out my full UWELL Caliburn G review for all the details.
In April 2020, the FDA issued a round of warning letters to vape manufacturers, informing them to remove certain products from the market. The UWELL Caliburn was included on this list and is now banned from sale in the United States.
Why did this happen? According to the letter, the UWELL Caliburn “violates rules in the 2009 Tobacco Control Act and the 2016 Deeming Rule,” notes one report, “including the requirement that any products introduced after Aug. 8, 2016, must first receive marketing approval by the FDA.”
What does this mean? The Caliburn is dead. In the USA, anyway. From here on out, you will not be able to buy the UWELL Caliburn anywhere. Can you import it from overseas? Possibly, although it could get stopped in customs. Plenty of places sell the Caliburn in the UK, so it’s worth a punt, so long as you don’t mind potentially losing money.
Best UWELL Caliburn Alternatives (Updated For 2020)
If you’re looking for a great alternative to the UWELL Caliburn, you cannot go wrong with any of the pod vapes listed below – they all scored an A+ in our extensive testing.
Fully compatible with Freemax’s AX2 coils, the Freemax Autopod50 is yet another gem from the company that basically invented mesh coils. This pod is perfectly sized, made from zinc-alloy, so it looks and feels great, and it delivers incredible flavor with all-day-long battery life. It’s slightly pricey, but that’s what happens when you have market-leading flavor production…
The original VooPoo Drag vape mod was something of a game-changer. Keen to reinvent the wheel again, VooPoo has returned with the VooPoo Drag X pod vape – and this thing is brilliant. It will run both Nic Salts and High VG Vape Juice, it has a HUGE battery life, and the coils last for weeks at a time. As pod vapes go, the Drag X is damn-near perfect.
Like the SMOK Alike, the Smok RPM160 Pod Mod is again another hybrid pod vape device, pulling aspects of pod vapes and vape mods into one seamless device. You have 120W of power under the hood, a gorgeously designed chassis, and SMOK’s brand new IQ-160 chipset which brings an array of vaping modes into play. If you want a fancy pod mod that behaves and performs like an actual vape mod, the Smok RPM160 Pod Mod is 100% worth a look.
The VooPoo Vinci will hold 5.5ml of Vape Juice; that’s about as big as it gets when you’re talking about pod vapes. Inside, you have a huge 1500mAh battery and support for both 0.3ohm and 0.8ohm coils – ideal for flavor and cloud-chasing. Everything is powered along by VooPoo’s GENE pod chip and 40W of power. If you want box mod performance, the Vinci comes highly recommended.
The FDA killed the UWELL Caliburn. And that sucks because that was a truly great device. There are now great alternatives, though, and the Freemax Maxpod Kit Pod Mod is our current #1 favorite option for a small, all-in-one vape device. This is a straight-up MTL pod, just like the Caliburn. You get killer flavor, as you’d expect from Freemax, and, unlike the Caliburn, the Freemax Maxpod has awesome battery life too. If you’re looking for a Caliburn alternative, this is the one you want to go for…
OK, so you cannot get the UWELL Caliburn anymore. What should you buy instead? Obviously, when it comes it pod vapes, you have A LOT of options. But which pod vapes are equal to or better than the UWELL Caliburn?
The Sense Orbit is a small, portable pod vape system with a massive 1100mAh battery and the ability to do both MTL and DTL vaping – it’s also super cheap too ($16.95 w/ FREE Shipping)
This is a tough one to call, but based on my extensive testing of pods in 2020, I think the Sense Orbit is perhaps the closest thing to the UWELL Caliburn on the market right now; it’s a similar size, though looks completely different, and it is really cheap too – just $16.95.
Sense Orbit Specs
- Integrated 1100mAh Rechargeable Battery
- Resistance Range: 0.5-3.0ohm
- 3 Level Firing Mode – Soft/Normal/Strong
- Intuitive Firing Button
- Ergonomic Mouthpiece
- LED Battery Life Indicator Light
- 2.5mL Juice Capacity
- 0.6ohm Mesh Coil – rated for 18-23W
- 1.1ohm Coil – rated for 10-12.5W
- Threaded Coil Connection
- Side Fill System – Silicone Stoppered
- MicroUSB Port
As you can see from the specs list above, the Sense Orbit packs in a range of specifications and features that actually make it vastly superior to the UWELL Caliburn. For starters, it has a massive battery (1100mAh) and it can also run both DTL and MTL coils, so you get the best of both worlds.
The Caliburn, in contrast, has a very small battery (320mAh) and can only do MTL vaping. This is fine for the most part, but if you can do more and have more battery life, why wouldn’t you? The Sense Orbit, while not that well known, is a killer pod setup that I would definitely recommend. It’s cheap and it kicks ass with respect to overall performance.
If you’re missing the UWELL Caliburn, and you want something similar that costs even less but has better battery life and supports both MTL and DTL vaping, the Orbit is 100% worth a look.
Sense Orbit | Best Deal | $16.95 w/ FREE Shipping
