UWELL Caliburn GZ2 Review: A New Shape for Pod Vapes?

Product intro and specs

The GZ2 is one of the latest pod systems in UWELL’s super-popular Caliburn line. I've not used a ton of UWELL products lately, but I really liked the vape tanks of the Crown series and the Nunchaku pen, as well as the original Caliburn, which was a fantastic pod system for its time. There have been countless Caliburns since the original, so people seem to love what UWELL has been doing with this line.

The GZ2 is a pod system that focuses on ease of use but does it with style and flair. It’s a compact vape, but it comes in an interesting boxy design and looks nothing like previous UWELL pods. Its internal battery is listed at 850 mAh, and it takes 2 mL pods with replaceable coils of the G line.

Price: $19.99 (at Element Vape)

Colors: Black, silver, red, purple, blue & black, orange & black

Build quality and design

The Caliburn GZ2 comes from a long line of Caliburn pods, and while the line has products in a variety of styles, that’s the first time UWELL goes with a boxy design. They call it “Zega,” and it is supposed to have 50% less front space but allow for 22% more battery capacity, according to their site.

The device itself is really short, and it has an average width but more depth to it. It’s like a Caliburn cut in half and then stacking the two halves on each other. It really is small and comfy, though, and it’s very easy to pocket. The device is very lightweight but also feels very durable. It should easily hold up to the day-to-day life of a vape mod. Behind the drip tip, there is a hook for a lanyard, but there’s no lanyard included.

The two sides of the body feature LEDs that run from the bottom to the top. The LEDs show battery levels at first and then put on a little light show that they call “Tron” style—an homage to the popular movie. You can pop the pod in and out to check the battery level as well.

There is no air adjustment on the device itself, but you can adjust the airflow using the red wheel on the bottom of the pod. As for color options, there are six in total—four solid colors and two dual-color options. All of them have a full black backing.

All in all, it’s a pretty simple device to use and a cool one to look at.

Getting started

At its core, The Caliburn GZ2 is a pretty typical pod system that’s perfect for beginners. No buttons, no on or off, no settings. It’s an inhale-to-vape device that goes straight into your pocket after you vape.

Filling the pod is very easy to do since it doesn’t have to be removed. You just push on the drip tip, and it pops off, exposing the hole that’s covered by a red rubber flapper. Just insert your bottle tip through the flapper and fill. There is a small hole on the other side for air to escape.

The pods for the GZ2 aren’t magnetic; they just click into place. I don’t have a preference, both styles work equally well for me. To remove the pod, just grab it and pull it out. No special tricks needed. To put it back in, just push it in until you hear a click, and the device will vibrate. Really easy and simple as it should be.

The pod itself is fully recessed into the device, with only the drip tip sticking out. Thankfully, there is a juice window on the device that lets you see the whole pod. The pods are also clear, so the juice level is very easy to see.

Overall, the GZ2 is an excellent option for first-time vapers looking to quit smoking or someone who wants something small that doesn't make a lot of vapor to get through the day.

Performance

The draw on this device is MTL, and adjustments can be made on the pod for a little tighter or a little looser draw, depending on your preferences. But the most important part of any pod device is going to be the coils. A great device is pointless if the coils are bad, but UWELL has a long history of good coils, and I expected solid performance from these.

The GZ2 uses the G coils, which is the line that’s used by various other Caliburn vapes like the G2, GK2, and Tenet. If you’ve used a Caliburn with replaceable coils, you probably know them already. There are two coils included in the package: the 0.8-ohm and the 1.2-ohm coil. There is also a 1.0-ohm coil available separately.

I started my testing with the 0.8-ohm coil. In a device like this, the expected coil life is usually 10-15 mL. I used 50/50 20-24 mg nicotine salt juices in it and went through 20 mL and the coil was still good, so great coil life. The flavor was great for a pod system as well.

Then I used the 1.2-ohm coil, same juices, and was able to get 20 mL from it as well. So, again, great coil life and flavor with this one.

Both coils worked really well, so you can’t go wrong with either one, and you can decide which is your favorite before purchasing extras. Personally, the 0.8-ohm coil was my favorite, but it was a close call.

Battery life and charging

The GZ2 houses an internal battery listed at 850 mAh, and charging is listed at 2A. The USB-C port is located on the bottom of the device.

I tested their ratings, and for the charge rate I got 1.34A max, which is much lower than their listing. I understand that most companies round up their charge ratings (and rounding up to 1.5 would have been acceptable to me,) but 2A is way too high.

For battery size, I got a usable 800 mAh, which is a little below the rating. Most devices are rated about 20% higher than you actually get, so I’m actually happy with UWELL’s 6%. Some companies would have rated it as high as 1000 mAh. And nothing wrong with the battery size itself, as most devices of this size come with 600 mAh batteries.

I timed a full charge at 60 minutes. Most pods charge in 30-60 minutes, depending on the battery size, so the charge time here is on the high side of the average range. Nothing wrong with that.

The GZ2 supports passthrough vaping as well, so there is no need to wait for it to charge. The LEDs on the side act as a battery meter, but they went with the three steps most companies use:

Battery indication works well, but I wish companies make four steps the industry standard since it’s clearly better.

Pros / Cons

Gallery

Verdict

Overall, UWELL made another great device to compete in the pod space. It is compact, has a large battery, comes with great coils, and is very easy to use. Outside of the overrated charge rate, I have no real complaints about the device. It’s simple, good-looking, built well, and durable. It’s a solid device that checks all the boxes in my book.

Have you tried the UWELL Caliburn GZ2? How was your experience with the device? Let us know in the comments below.