UWELL Dillon EM Review: Introducing EM Lock

Product intro and specs

The Dillon EM is one of the latest pod systems by UWELL. The company doesn't pump out a ton of products and has a reputation for quality over quantity. They became known in the vaping community with the original Crown sub ohm tank and exploded in popularity with the release of the Caliburn, which quickly became the gold standard for pod systems. They’re also known for making great coils, which bodes well with the products they tend to release. 

The Dillon EM is a refillable pod system with an internal battery listed at 900 mAh. It has a brand new feature called “EM Lock,” which is meant to prevent leaking. The device is made for MTL vaping and is compatible with two pods, both of which are included in the package.

Most of UWELL's latest products have been carrying the Caliburn name, so let's see if the Dillon EM has what it takes to kickstart a new popular line for UWELL.

Price: $19.99 (at Element Vape)
Colors: Silver quartz fiber, purple aura quartz, luxury black gold, off white micro arc (limited edition)

Build quality and design

The UWELL Dillon EM has a unique design overall. It’s shaped like the Caliburn GZ that I reviewed recently, but it's a taller version of it. While most stick-style bases are rectangular, the Dillon's base is square-ish. Outside of that, it’s a pretty basic device with a smooth texture on the front and sides and ribbed on the back. On both sides, there is a long slim LED for the battery meter, and there is a juice window on the front, which is great. 

The one big feature that sets it apart, though, is the EM Lock. The pods come with magnets that the device uses to open and close the juice supply to the coil. So when the device isn’t in use, the coil doesn't get any juice. This is actually a pretty useful feature. You don’t have to worry if you leave your device in your car for a bit, when you are on a plane, or when you don't use it for a while. It won’t leak. It sets it apart from other pods, where a hot car is usually a death sentence for a coil. So, it's a really cool idea that worked well for me when testing this device. It’s pretty cool to watch it happen, too, for some reason. 

Color options are pretty limited. Technically, they offer a total of four colors, but it’s really more like three. The three colors widely available are silver quartz fiber, purple aura quartz, and luxury black gold. The fourth color is off white micro arc, featuring a micro-arc oxidation process to create an anti-corrosion and anti-scratch coating. They claim it’s a limited edition and that they are only making 5000 of it, so it will likely be hard to find. For this review, I used the silver and the limited off-white ones. Both look great up close and show no signs of wear or peeling. Overall, the design is simple and classy, and the EM Lock feature is great and useful.

Getting started

The UWELL Dillon EM is a beginner pod system that's as easy as it gets to use. No buttons, settings, or special features. It’s an inhale-to-fire-only device, so it is great for beginners. While the device itself doesn't have airflow adjustment, there are two air settings on the pods. It just depends on which way you put it on. With the logo facing out, it is a little looser of an MTL vape, while if you flip it so the "min" line is facing out the juice window, it’ll be a tighter MTL vape. That's about it as far as adjustability goes.

The pods are side-fill, so the rubber plug is on the side. You do have to remove the pod to refill it. The pod is magnetic and just pops in and out very easily. It has a nice, snug fit, and the magnets are strong enough that there is no wiggle. The juice level is clearly visible thanks to the juice window and clear pods, so I'm really happy with that. Overall, UWELL kept it simple with the Dillon EM, which is a positive.

Performance

The UWELL Dillon EM uses a new pod line exclusive to this device. The main reason it's not compatible with other pods is the EM Lock tech, which is a very elaborate design that influences the shape and size of the pods. The Dillon comes with two pods, one of each of the options (0.6 and 0.9 ohm.) I don’t see any other options listed anywhere, so it seems it’ll just be these two (at least for now.)

Both coils performed great for me, offering excellent flavor and long coil life. I was easily able to vape 30 mL through each coil, and they weren’t burned out. I expect at least 20 mL in coils like these, so anything over that is good in my books. I did prefer the flavor of the 0.6-ohm coil, but both are good, so you can try both and decide which one you prefer. Very well done from UWELL with the coil performance, which isn’t a surprise as it’s usually their forte.

Battery life and charging

The internal battery of the Dillon EM is listed at 900 mAh. They list the charge rate at 5V/2A (both listed on their site,) and the port is USB-C located at the bottom of the device. When I see specs like this, I expect at least 720 mAh and a charge rate of 1.6A or higher (both specs can be overrated by 20% for various reasons.) So I'll only ding companies for being worse than expectations to be fair to everyone. 

I tested all this, and for the max charge rate I got 1.67A. It's inside my expectations, but it's still on the low end for 2A devices (most charge at around 1.8A.) I timed a full charge at 40 minutes, so it does a good job of quick charging. For battery capacity, I got 865 mAh usable. That actually exceeds my expectations, and they could have listed it at 1000 mAh as it does have more battery than most 1000 mAh rated devices on the market. It does have passthrough vaping like all devices should have these days. 

The battery meter is two long slim LEDs, one on each side. The LEDs light up when using the device and the battery level can also be checked by removing and installing the pod.

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

Three-step meters are pretty standard for pod systems, but as I write in my reviews, I prefer a four-step, evenly-spaced system. A few pods have had it, but it’s rare. While charging, the LEDs breathe and then stay lit when fully charged. Overall, I am very happy with the charging/battery specs.

Pros / Cons

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