Uwell Popreel N1 Pod Kit Review – Uwell Are The Kings Of Pod Kits!

The Uwell Popreel N1 Pod Kit is a new super simple pod vape kit from the gang at Uwell.

Uwell have been epic in the pod kit department the last few years – the Caliburn kits in particular have been perfect for new vapers and even more advanced vapers who just need a small carry around device.

So can the Popreel N1 carry on this tradition? Time to get stuck in and find out!

What Can We Expect From The Uwell Popreel N1 Pod Kit…

This is similar to other Uwell Pod Kits such as the Caliburn but it is designed to be even easier to use!

There are no buttons or adjustments you simply inhale on the mouthpiece and the fire activates automatically.

Oh and no faffing about changing coils either – the pod component is disposable when the coil performance deteriorates.

The kit includes a 1.2ohm UN2 Meshed-H pod. It is also compatible with the Uwell Yearn Neat 2 pods too.

You can refill the pod with up to 2ml of your own e-liquid via the side fill port.

The pod is held into the device magnetically and Uwell promise it is leak-proof too!

The main device has a 520mAh internal battery which is charged via the USB Type C port at a 1A charge rate. There is no charging cable included in the kit – I suppose that is to keep the price low.

A “V” shaped LED indicator is provided to display battery capacity remaining and fault conditions.

There are 6 colour options to choose from: Pearl White, Champagne, Forest Green, Coral Red, Calm Blue and Matte Black.

These were provided free of charge for review purposes and I will report back honestly on my findings of the device in my possession!

Inside the Box

• Uwell Popreel N1 device
• 1.2ohm Popreel N1 pod
• User manual

No USB cable is included – however I was sent one separately.

Uwell Popreel N1 Pod Kit Specs

• Size: 102.2×22.1×11.5mm
• Output: 10W
• Battery: 520mAh (internal)
• Display: LED indicator
• Resistance range: Not specified
• E-liquid capacity: 2ml
• USB Type C – 1A charge rate
• Pods: Refillable fixed coils – 1.2ohm – compatible with Yearn Neat 2 Pods
• Side fill port

Uwell Popreel N1 Kit Design and Build Quality

I received the Calm Blue colour version but in some lights to me it looks like a dark Green colour?

The packaging looks good with a clear window cut out so you can see the colour of the device.

I also have to applaud Uwell on the great instruction booklet – one of the best I have seen for a while – 8 pages all in English with some clear illustrations too.

Uwell Popreel N1 Mod

This is super light and the body is made from a hard plastic but the addition of the “Diamond” texture pattern does stop it from looking like a dull cheapo device.

The texture is on the front and rear panels of the device and the side panels are smooth.

Each side panel has either “Popreel” or “Uwell” laser etched in so it blends in beautifully.

The side with the Uwell logo also houses a teeny tiny airflow intake hole, so be careful not to block it when vaping or else you might suck your pants up your bum trying to get a vape!

You can tell which is the front as it has the “V” shaped LED which also changes colour to inform of fault conditions or battery capacity remaining and it is clear and bright.

The pod is held in magnetically and only has a slight wobble if you shake the device vigorously but otherwise is pretty stable.

Inside the pod compartment are 2 contacts, 2 magnets and the airflow / sensor trigger hole.

On the base is the USB Type C port and required legal logos.

A very neat little kit which just escapes being plasticky and cheap looking with the attention to detail and texture addition.

Uwell Popreel Kanthal Meshed 1.2ohm Pod

The pod is pretty basic with a flat “duck bill” style mouthpiece.

A side fill port cover is provided which is bright red so you can’t really miss it and it is pretty easy to lift up.

One slight niggle is that you can’t turn the cover out of the way when filling you just have to hold it up.

The square fill port hole is approx 4x4mm and so far have not had any filling issues.

On the front of the pod is a “minimum” line so try to make sure you never allow the e-liquid level to drop below this or you may damage your coil and get a gross dry hit!

Sadly when the pod is inserted into the mod you can’t see the minimum line, you can roughly see around half of the pod contents when it is in the mod.

You can see the e-liquid level clearly even though the pod is slightly tinted.

The base of the pod has a metal container, 2 contacts and 2 airflow holes so you can install it either way around.

Uwell Popreel N1 Pod Kit Quick Start Guide

The base of the pod has an isolation sticker to help prevent you firing up the device when the pod is empty.

So remove this sticker, fill up the pod, charge the battery and away you go!

Basic Operation

• Power On/Off = you cannot switch this on or off.
• Vaping = inhale on the mouthpiece to trigger the auto fire.
• Battery indicator = Green LED = more than 60% battery remaining, Blue LED = 30-60% and Red LED = less than 30% left.
• Battery indicator when charging = The Green, Blue and Red of the battery indicator will operate as above. When fully charged the LED indicator will stay on in Green.

Protections

• Low battery – Red LED flashes 10 times – get the device on charge!
• Short circuit / too low resistance – LED flashes Red 3 times and won’t operate. Check the pod base and port for liquid or contamination. Clean. If this doesn’t work try to replace the pod with a new one.
• Overtime Protection – if you vape longer than 8 seconds the LED will flash Green 5 times and cut out.

How To Charge The Battery

The charging rate is specified as 1A.

• Using the included USB type C cable connect the small end into the USB port on the mod.
• Connect the large end of the cable into a suitable USB outlet.
• The LED will display through the colours and turn Green and stay on when fully charged.

The charging time for me using a 1A mains plug was around 40 minutes (41 and 42 mins each time to be exact.)

How To Fill the Uwell Popreel N1 Pod

• Remove the pod from the mod.
• Lift up the cover of the fill port and add e-liquid through the port.
• Watch the e-liquid level through the clear side of the pod.
• Replace the fill port cover firmly.
• If this is the first fill allow the pod to stand for 10-15 mins to allow the e-liquid to soak into the coil. This is called Priming and is a very important step. If not fully primed you could burn the coil out and your throat lining in the process!

How Does the Uwell Popreel N1 Pod Kit Perform?

I used my own e-liquid mix which is 50/50 PG/VG made from IVG Bubblegum Concentrate at 20% ratio. This is quite high a flavour ratio as I prefer plenty of flavour, but sadly this means it can be a coil killer sometimes.

I add nic salt to approx 6mg strength.

If any of these terms are over your head – have a read of our handy guides below!

• MTL V DTL – A Guide To Vape Styles
• VG and PG in E-liquid – all you need to know
• Beginners guide to E-liquid
• Nic Salt E-liquid

1.2ohm Pod Performance

At first I will say I was not impressed. The flavour was kind of “Soapy” and odd.

This vanished after the first pod full and from then on the flavour has been really good. It is not quite up to the standard of the OXVA Xlim V2 or SE 0.8ohm pods but they are lower resistance so I have been a bit spoilt with them.

So do persevere as the first tank full is not a true impression of the flavour potential of this little kit.

The flavour is clear and strong and as you end up taking long inhales you do exhale a surprising amount of vapour too.

I get a great throat hit too, it is all lovely from such a high resistance pod at low power!

I have had 8 refills so far and the taste is still as good as the second refill!

Uwell Popreel N1 Airflow

This is the tightest airflow I think I have found on a pod kit. It is super tight.

If it was any tighter it would become mega uncomfortable to vape with. It is not quite over that border but it does take quite an effort and I am taking long draws to get a mouth full of vapour.

Ex-smokers will love this airflow – I can cope with it, but it is a lot tighter than I am used to.

If you are a loose MTL or RDTL vaper I would avoid this kit!

Even though it is a tight draw the auto fire kicks in well so no issues there. I am even tempted to drill the airflow hole out slightly!

Mod Performance

One slight issue I have found is that the USB port is a bit “crunchy”. When you insert the connector it crunches a bit and needs a bit of effort to push in fully. This doesn’t affect the performance though as it still charges fine.

Battery Life

As this has no puff counter I can only time how long and how many pod-fulls the battery lasts.

I found I got around 5 hours vaping and usually used 3-4 pod fills per battery charge.

Pros

• Diamond texture and attention to detail lift this up from being just a plastic pod kit.
• Instructions and packaging are great.
• Super light weight
• Wonderful flavour on 2nd pod fill onwards
• Very very tight airflow and quick auto draw response
• Quick charge time
• Great battery life
• Not a single leak or malfunction

Cons

• Only one pod and no USB cable included. This does keep the cost down though.
• You cannot see the minimum e-liquid level when pod is installed so keep an eye on it.
• USB port a bit crunchy
• Airflow might be too tight for some

Final Review Verdict

This is a low price pod kit and in some ways its shows.

There is no USB cable and only one pod included in the kit – which obviously is where the costs have been cut and I do find this a shame.

But otherwise the rest of the device looks and performs like something way more expensive.

Yes it is a plasticky pod kit but the design and texture elevate it from looking cheapo. The flavour again elevates this to way above average too.

Well done Uwell – you can sure knock out a flavourful pod kit!

Would I Buy This Kit Myself?

I personally wouldn’t – not because of the device itself but just because it doesn’t suit my vaping style.

I find the airflow a bit too tight for me.

But in performance this is an excellent little kit and for a starter especially an ex-smoker it is perfect. I have scored it 10 points in the “replace if lost or damaged” category – despite it not being my type of kit – it does absolutely nothing wrong at all.