Small size – simple, effective vaping

The Caliburn Koko Prime by Uwell is a tiny pod that looks great and is really practical. Almost too easy to use, its micro format doesn’t stop it from being a big deal when it comes to delivering quality flavours.

It’s really small and really compact. The Caliburn Koko Prime is small enough to almost disappear. At less than 7 cm in height and barely 16 mm wide, it’s the perfect companion for the occasional, discrete vape. It’s super simple and ultra practical.

Choosing the pod mod that will suit you best is essential as this kit is the starting point for e-cigarettes. Get it right and you’ll give yourself the best chance of quitting. Pod mods have been all the rage since 2017, and every manufacturer has released at least one. It can be hard to know which are the best among them. But don’t panic, the Vaping Post is here to help. Here are the top 3 best pod mods right now. The Vaping Post is here to guide you through the world of pods. These are smaller sized e-cigarettes, but in spite of that they’re improving all the time.

Pods are fairly new in the vaping world. Let us explain.

A pod mod is an all-in-one, small-sized e-cigarette. It consists of a battery and a cartridge. The cartridge is what makes pod mods unique and gives them their name: another word for a capsule is “pod”. With a pod mod, you can vape e-liquids with high nicotine levels (see below), which either use a nicotine base or contain nicotine salts that give a gentler hit in your throat. You can also vape e-liquids containing CBD.

What makes pod mods unique is their cartridge. The cartridge has a tank for e-liquid, a coil and a mouthpiece for vaping. It usually holds 2 ml of e-liquid, which is the limit allowed by the European TPD Directive. It may or may not be closed, i.e. sealed. With closed cartridges, you have to throw out the cartridge when it is empty, which is not very earth-friendly. Luckily you also can get cartridges you can refill with e-liquid once they’re empty. That increases their lifespan and lowers the cost of using them. The other benefit of refillable cartridges is that you can use whatever e-liquid you want! The high-resistance coil is usually 1 ohm or more. This high resistance means you don’t need much power to vaporize the e-liquid, so you can use it with small batteries and still have a decent battery life.

Pod mods use compact batteries with enough power to vape for between several hours and a day, depending on how often you use them. Their capacity is shown in mAh (milliamp/hour) and varies from 350 to 800 mAh for the longest lasting batteries. You recharge them using the USB cable usually supplied by the manufacturer. To make them easier to use, the batteries are usually automatic, so you don’t have to press a button to vape. The pod mod activates as soon as you suck on the mouthpiece, a bit like a tobacco cigarette. Normally, an LED on the pod mod shows the battery charge level.

The high-resistance coils in pod mods mean you can use e-liquids containing nicotine salts. They deliver high nicotine levels without severely irritating your throat, making pod mods another tried and tested way to stop smoking.

The compact size is at its best in this type of vape. Lightweight and slim, you can slip a pod mod into your pocket and take it anywhere, unlike some bigger e-cigarettes (e.g. box or tube mods).

This is the easiest option out there right now. If yours is automatic (i.e. no activation button), just clip on a cartridge filled with e-liquid and inhale. At worst, you have to press the only button on the device, which is pretty simple. To recharge it, just use a basic USB cable. It doesn’t get much easier than that! And they’re usually quite affordable too.

Pod mods are aimed at novice vapers and at vapers/smokers who want to cut down on cigarettes or quit completely. Experienced vapers also use them as a back up device when they want a discrete vape.

Their small size gives them extra aesthetic appeal, including for vapers after a more feminine look. Their discretion and practicality are still their main plus points.

If you want to make big vapour clouds, give them a miss. Pod mods aren’t designed for cloud chasing, although a few models can manage it. If you want to quit smoking, however, a pod mod will definitely meet your expectations. Pod mods make quite a small quantity of vapour and use indirect inhalation, i.e. it’s like smoking a tobacco cigarette where you first take the smoke into your mouth and then draw it into your lungs.

It’s also very common to use nicotine salt e-liquids with pods. This form of nicotine has a different pH, is gentler on your throat and lets you vape strong nicotine liquids without the usual discomfort you get from standard, high-dose e-liquids. Nicotine salts make an interesting alternative for people who are sensitive to nicotine and who might cough or feel excessive irritation in their throat. To find out more, take a look at Everything you needed to know about nicotine salts.

You should expect to pay 25 Euro for the cheapest models and 50 Euro plus for the most successful products.

The expert team here at the Vaping Post has named the Caliburn Koko Prime by Uwell the best pod of 2021.

No, you can’t change the coil in a pod because it’s usually built into the e-liquid tank. If you’re looking for vaping kit where you can change the coil, think about using an atomizer, a dripper, or a clearomizer.

No, the battery in a pod is built-in, so it can’t be removed or replaced. You can only change the battery in box mods that have separate batteries.

For occasional use during the day, you should opt for a battery with a capacity of at least 350 mAh. But if you plan to use your pod regularly or intensively, choose a battery with 650 to 900 mAh.

On most pods the LED is only there to show you the battery level. For more details, please look at the user manual for your device.

Most pods work in a fairly similar way: five clicks to turn the device on or off, hold down to vape. But you’ll need to check the instructions for your product to find out how to use it. Since every pod is different, we can’t really answer this question definitively.

If your vape doesn’t have any buttons, it’s a safe bet that you’ve bought an automatic pod that works all by itself when you inhale! Give pods a try. They’re the easiest way to vape. Just inhale – there’s no need to even press a button.

For most models you just pull the e-liquid cartridge off the body of the pod, then clip on the new one on the same place.

If your pod is a closed cartridge model, no. If it’s a refillable cartridge model, then you can. Check your user guide to make sure, if you’re in any doubt.

Yes, some pods perform much better than others. This is especially true when it comes to build quality and ergonomics, which can vary enormously from one model to another. Why not read our guide to the best pods above or our latest tests to help you decide before you buy?

No, because pods tend to reduce e-liquid flavour and the nicotine hit, that tingling feeling you get in your throat when you inhale the vapour. But some still manage to deliver a very satisfactory result.

Pods are often more fragile than other vaping products like atomizers, clearomizers or box mods. As they’re completely made of plastic, they are more likely to break in a fall. But rest assured. Like any other product you might buy, they come with a warranty and usually last for several months without any problems if you look after them.