The Uwell Crown V sub ohm tank review and there’s no disputing that back in 2015 the original Crown tank catapulted the Shenzen based manufacturer firmly into the vaping limelight with its exceptional performance.
The stainless steel stock coils were said to emit superb flavour and cloud production while an RBA deck helped ensnare the hearts of early deck builders.
They suffered a few quality control issues the following year with the updated Crown II but swiftly made amends in 2017 with a third rendition and everything appeared rosy once more within the Uwell vape garden.
A year later the Crown IV made its entry alongside a matching twin 18650 mod, providing the vaping masses with a complete kit as well as a standalone sub ohm tank.
The Uwell Caliburn had become an extremely popular pod kit for the manufacturer so in late 2019 under the sub ohm tanks moniker they released a refillable system aptly known as the Crown Pod kit.
Such was their confidence that by the end of 2020, a fifth (upgraded version) of the Crown IV hit the market.
..I know what you’re thinking. Almost as many sequels as the Rocky franchise.
So do subtle upgrades justify a brand new release?
Let’s find out.
What Can We Expect From The Uwell Crown V Sub Ohm Tank?
The Uwell Crown V sub ohm tank has gained a little weight over its predecessor. It’s also lost height making it more compact when compared with the Crown IV.
The kit comes packaged with two coils from a total of three variations. Single, dual and triple mesh all of which include organic cotton.
Expect the single mesh coil to provide a direct lung vape, the dual mesh more of a restrictive DL and the triple mesh to offer the best of both worlds.
However, don’t expect to find cross compatibility with these coils. They won’t work with others in the series and are exclusive to this tank.
Uwell Crown V Sub Ohm Tank – Inside the Box
The TPD version arrived in a tough, plastic container giving adequate protection during transit. Nice touch.
Removal of the lid exposes the entire contents. There’s nothing to be found underneath the foam inlay.
- Uwell Crown V tank (CRC version)
- Pack of replacement O rings
- Drip tip cover
- 0.3ohm UN2-2 coil
- 0.23ohm UN2 coil (pre-installed)
- Spare glass (2ml)
- User manual
- Warning card
Uwell Crown V Sub Ohm Tank – Key Features
It comes in two versions. A non EU version allowing for 5ml/6ml juice capacity thanks to the inclusion of a bubble glass extension and there’s a 2ml TPD equivalent (under review).
The top cap comes in two styles. A standard quarter turn bayonet type and a child resistant version (CRC). It’s the later we’re looking at in this review.
The Uwell Pro FOCS flavour testing technology makes a return whereby a recycling of the air stream helps to provide a more concentrated flavour.
The proprietary self cleaning tech also means E liquid can be absorbed in the condensation holder and vaped later. This helps reduce leakage while cutting down on cleaning frequency.
The coils retain their “push and play” simplicity and the Uwell Crown V now sports a single silicone gasket for the purposes of filling.
The bottom tri adjustable airflow will allow for a loose direct lung vape or a more restrictive draw depending on user requirements.
It comes in a choice of colour schemes. Silver, Black, Yellow, Grey, red or Blue.
Uwell Crown V Sub Ohm Tank – Specifications
- Material Stainless Steel and Pyrex glass
- Size 27mm x 51mm
- Net Weight 70g
- Tank capacity 2ml
- Filling method CRC Quarter turn bayonet type
- Coil type Plug and play
- Airflow Tri slotted adjustable
- Thread 510
Uwell Crown V Sub Ohm Tank – Design and Build Quality
Confusion reigns free when it actually comes to the diameter of the Uwell Crown V tank.
The official website states 29mm, the instruction manual claims 27mm and when I measure it I find it’s 26.5mm at the widest point, not at the base.
The height also takes into account the drip tip and a rather protruding gold plated 510 pin. In fact the pin of the Crown V tank sticks out excessively further than most of the sub ohm tanks I’ve come across.
Starting at the top and although the 510 drip tip is devoid of O rings it’s still quite a tight fit. The coloured trim doesn’t quite match the colour of the tank itself. Should that be an issue it can be replaced with one of your own.
This being the CRC version the top cap spins freely and does its job admirably. There’s no way tiny fingers are getting inside this one!
In order to remove the top cap press down firmly and twist counter clockwise for a quarter of a turn to release it. It’s something that soon becomes second nature.
Releasing the top cap will expose the silicone fill gasket that now replaces the four open ports of the previous Crown IV tank.
It’s almost 8mm long and 3.5mm wide so should accommodate a range of bottle nozzles.
How To Fill The Uwell Crown V Sub Ohm Tank
I usually start by soaking the wicking ports of a stock coil first as I think it helps by way of additional priming.
- Close off the adjustable airflow at the base of the tank
- Remove the top cap from the tank exposing the fill port
- Tilt the tank at an angle and gently squeeze E liquid through the rubber gasket and into the tank. Take care not to overfill
- Replace the top cap, adjust bottom airflow to suit and leave the juice to soak into the cotton for around five minutes before vaping
Uwell Crown V Sub Ohm Tank – Airflow
There are three 10mm wide adjustable cycloptic airflow ports built into the deck and although silky smooth when turning do seem quite loose even before contact with VG.
As usual with adjustable airflow ports, whatever adjustment is made to one will be reflected on the others.
There’s also a degree of side to side movement around the deck and although the embossed “V” symbol acts as knurling here, still doesn’t seem to fit as tightly as it should which is slightly concerning.
Remove the base by twisting clockwise. The threading is good quality and there’s no crunching to be heard when attaching or removing.
A gold plated coil contact sits in the centre of the deck alongside a stopper for the airflow control ring.
The inner chimney displays the well known crown symbol within the confines of the 2ml TPD Pyrex glass tank and a minimum fill level is stamped on the opposite side.
The chimney also incorporates four juice flow ports designed to line up with the wicking ports of the coil. It’s not essential to line them up but I always “feel” it leads to a better wicking performance.
..Either that or my OCD is kicking in again! lol
It couldn’t be easier to install a new coil.
Simply push the coil up inside the chimney ensuring a snug fit. Job done!
I did notice that there’s very little doming on the inner chimney as airflow approaches the mouth piece.
It looks like the tank relies on the mesh coils and Pro FOCS flavour tech to deliver the goods.
How Does The Uwell Crown V Sub Ohm Tank Perform?
The Uwell Crown V tank comes with two mesh coils.
The pre-installed one is designed with the true direct lung vaper in mind. That means improved cloud production alongside some decent flavour.
0.23ohm UN2 Single Mesh Coil (best 65-70W)
The coil has a height of 23mm and a diameter of 13mm at its widest point. Air intake restricts to 4.5mm throughout the chamber and all four wicking ports measure a sizeable 8mm x 3.5mm.
That’s another reason why this sub ohm tank is a juice guzzler.
I’d say there’s still around 10% restriction even with the tri airflow ports fully open. Vapour production is thick, dense and there’s plenty of volume during the exhale.
The tank isn’t the quietest on the market but I didn’t notice any turbulence.
The mesh coil is very lively and produces air bubbles from the word go meaning there’s some efficient wicking occurring.
Mid Airflow Restriction
Flavour properties from the Uwell Crown V tank are very rich, dense and saturated – always something I look out for. There’s no diminishing or impairment during exhale either which is very pleasing.
The dairy notes generated by this locally sourced Vanilla Custard profile are excellent providing a nice, cream like texture for added depth.
The only disappointing factor was how little airflow restriction occurs between fully open and mid setting. It only equates to around a further 15-20% which is less than I was hoping for. It’s still semi restrictive but only just.
Further Restriction
In order to receive a true restrictive direct lung vape the airflow needs to be almost closed off.
This is my preferred style of vaping but to be honest it has the effect of suppressing flavour tones and those dairy notes now dissolve, giving way to the custard and vanilla.
In other words the flavour has lost some of the dynamic I’ve become accustomed to.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very respectable performance but the vapour production will suffer as a consequence of higher restriction. If this is also your preferred vaping style stick with lower nicotine levels because the added heat may cause scratching to the throat.
Of course there’s also the option of lowering power settings to the recommended minimum of 65W or thereabouts.
0.3ohm UN2-2 Dual Mesh Coil (Best 50-55W)
Air intake to the coils chamber has been increased to 6.5mm which is 2mm more than the single UN2 mesh coil but that’s in order to accommodate the twin vertical mesh structure.
The four circular wicking ports have also been halved in size which should make for further restriction even with airflow wide open and this is indeed the case.
At this setting the restriction is double that of the UN2 coil and means that the vape is tepid as opposed to cold. It works a treat with the V4 vapour Apple Crumble profile I used.
The vape is also quieter but there’s a little more turbulence as air passes through the twin mesh coils.
Mid Airflow Restriction
Again there is very little difference between mid restriction and wide open airflow although it has to be said that the vapour production is insane which really helps with the fullness of the inhale.
It won’t be long before you’re reducing your living room to a swirling white layer of cloud!
This level of restriction does much to alter the sweetness of the apple. It’s quite intense, saturated while very flavoursome.
Further Restriction
Setting the airflow almost closed I got a very restrictive direct lung vape which has a tendency to intensify flavour properties further.
The vape now becomes warm but the wicking does seem to struggle a little more. That’s on me though for including a high VG mix.
Vapour production doesn’t exactly falter, it’s more a case of heavy restriction affecting the ability to extend the inhale alongside potential wicking abilities under such restriction.
It’s likely to be much less of an issue if ratios of around 70VG/30PG are thrown into the tank.
Pros
- Excellent flavour and cloud production from the included coils
- The CRC safety cap has been well thought out
- Plug and play coils are very easy to install/change
- Excellent knurling on the deck. Easy to make adjustments on any MOD
Cons
- Airflow control ring is somewhat loose (subjective)
- Gasket fill port doesn’t cater for escaping air so the tank is prone to leaking
- Restrictive qualities aren’t as diverse as hoped for
- Unable to remove the glass tank for maintenance (subjective)
- The tank guzzles juice. A 2ml tank full won’t last very long (subjective)
Final Review Verdict
Let me get a few gripes out of the way first.
I would have preferred to see the filling mechanic that’s found on the Crown IV.
Why?
Because the single gasket fill port very often causes air to escape the same way it goes in. This forces liquid up and out of the fill port as it does so.
I also advise closing the airflow ports off when filling to prevent downwards air pressure forcing juice out from those too. That happened a few times.
Both coils guzzle E liquid and I found a single 2ml tank to last around thirty minutes tops. If you’re keen on the Uwell Crown V try to get hold of the 5/6ml extension tube.
Stick to the minimum fill level too otherwise you’ll definitely get a few dry hits.
The airflow control ring feels too loose right out of the box and the restrictive qualities aren’t as diverse as I was hoping for.
Maybe the deck only needed two cycloptic slots given the relatively low wattage/power demands of the coils.
Finally, no matter how I tried I was unable to remove the glass tube in a safe manner. The O rings seemed to have taken too much of a liking to the one already installed..
To Crown Things Off
I’m incredibly impressed by the performances of both the single and dual mesh coils.
The flavour was clean, bright, intense and saturated. No dryness to the vape whatsoever.
They’ll provide a mildly restrictive lung, semi restrictive or very restrictive direct lung vape without any real degradation of flavour.
If you’re a fan of cloud chucking these mesh coils will serve you well. Thick, white with plenty of volume. In fact a perfect match for the flavour experience that accompanies them.
To summarize, the Uwell Crown V tank has been designed for both fans of flavour and cloud production. That’s something I don’t always experience with sub ohm tanks.
Its performance outshines any of the design quality issues I discovered.
Are you a fan of the Crown series of tanks and kits?
Please let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
Hey, try tilting the tank so liquid isn’t by the fill port when refilling 🙂 otherwise, great review. I love this tank so far.
Leaks like the Titanic and coils don’t last. waste of $$$ (Do not buy tanks from Element Vapes as they refuse refunds)