Pugsley gives the Uwell Crown 4 Kit a Steampugs Right Royal Seeing-to.

[Steampugs]

Uwell Crown 4 Kit

I shall start today's episodic ramblings with a welcome befitting the theme that will follow...

You see....to an Englishman such as my good self, the word 'crown' is synonymous with a certain lady which most English people hold dear to their heart. 'Old Liz' is indeed a national treasure to those that think a 93 year old woman who barely takes a day off away from 'Queening' is worthy of such adornment...

"Heavy is the head that wears the crown."

Could you do it?.....Man, I couldn't even imagine the clusterfuck of a country I would create should I be burdened with such monumental responsibility....people close to me get nervous if I'm left alone in a room unsupervised for too long, let alone being the frontman of an Empire....to say that I would absolutely take advantage of my position within 3 seconds of being crowned....is sugar-coating the shit out of it.

So calling something the 'Crown'...to me....would suggest that whatever it is wearing that label, considers itself to be something rather important, above all others, the cat's pyjamas.....a front runner in a sea of fish......wait....that last one doesn't work AT ALL....(wtf are you talking about??).....HEY....this may come as a surprise, but I never really know...(shrugs)....

Anyhoo...

My point...if there even is one...is that if you're gonna name yourself the 'Crown'...you'd better sure as shit deserve that accolade, because unless the Queen vapes and this was made for her.....which I don't imagine she does....then claiming to be the Crown may well get Lizzy's gold embellished royal panty girdle in a twist...and pissing off the Royal mafia...as history has proven...is never a good idea.....gangsta AF..

SO.....let us request an audience with this right royal wannabe, as we delve into the not so distant past to take a belated look at why Uwell consider this to be worthy of it's gem encrusted insignia....shall we?

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Welcome once more my steamy sub-ohm sires and misty madams, back again with more of the same, and this time around intrigue has bested me, because today's offering is not particularly new. It's actually one of last years devices, but, seeing that I recently reviewed what I considered to be one of the best sub-ohm tanks on the market, and within that review I also compared it (in appearance) to what others consider to be the best sub-ohm tank on the market...I figured actually getting my hands on one and finding out for myself...wouldn't be the worst idea I've ever had.....that accolade actually still belongs to the time in my youth where I thought going to watch Jurassic Park at the cinema after dropping an acid would be....'fun'....turns out not so much...

(shudders)

Now...more often than not...as a reviewer...devices that you know at the time are probably very good and much worthy of an internationally coveted award winning review...

occasionally just pass you by - for reasons unknown (lazy, cba, got distracted by cake etc.). Happens all the time, especially because of the cake. Then, later down the line the opportunity arises for you to have a belated shot at whatever device it was, which brings us to the device in question today. Uwell had enjoyed relative success with some of their past offerings, such as the Valyrian tank and the....erm.....yep (shrugs).....but it really is their Crown series of tanks which put them on the map as a company worthy of attention, and it was the latest rendition of this royal upstart that they deemed worthy enough of designing a mod to go alongside....and I do like a nice kit. So...let's get down to business, courtesy of Ema @ Sourcemore I present to you...The Uwell Crown 4 Kit...Your Majesty..(bows)

The Lowdown

The Uwell Crown 4 kit consists of the well renowned Crown 4 Sub-ohm tank which - although it didn't when it was first released - now comes with mesh coils, as well as the Crown 4 mod....which technically speaking is actually the Crown 1 mod...as there isn't a 1,2 or 3 version of this device. It is literally named after the tank and is a 200w dual 18650 device, which has a limited set of modes compared to all the usual umph and snazz you've come to expect from a modern day 200w regulated device. Now, seeing how the tank appears to be the star of the show on this occasion...which never happens...I'll be casting my judgemental uber bitchy eyes over this first...

The Crown 4 Sub-Ohm tank is a 25mm tank with an impressive 6ml liquid capacity (5ml with included straight glass) and stands 55mm high.

Upon it's noggin the crown on the...erm...Crown...is a quick release, sealed, quarter turn top-cap which covers the rather lovely 4-holed top fill.....4!....AND it's recessed...pretty much perfect I'd say..

And the gem on this elaborate crown is a 510 o-ringed drip tip.....not unusual to get a 510 instead of an 810 in a Sub-Ohm tank these days, it may well restrict the airflow slightly but it also improves the flavour due to the fact that 70-75w is pretty much all you'll be pumping through the coils....you're not gonna want a tremendous amount of air coming through this thing...

The coils that come with the Crown 4 kit are the 0.4ohm SS904L coil, and the 0.23ohm UN2 mesh coil...now...I don't understand...nor do I care...why they are using SS904L instead of SS316L, but whatever the reason is, I did not like this coil. It didn't have the same clean taste I get from 316 and tbh...the flavour wasn't all there. I tested this coil for one tank only and then promptly swapped it back to the mesh coil, the flavour difference (for me personally) was very evident. I know that the mesh coil is a new addition to the Crown 4 tank as previously they only came with 2 different types of 904, but to be honest, in my opinion they would be better off offering a single and double mesh coil instead and fucking the 904 off altogether.

Around the bottom we have the AFC ring with triple inlets, the ring itself has perfect tension, and even on full bore is not incredibly airy due to the 510 mouthpiece, there is definitely some restriction but with still enough airflow to blow some serious plumage, and what airflow there is, is super smooth albeit a little turbulent.

 

[Steampugs]

Flavour-wise I have to say I was slightly disappointed. I mean I'm not the biggest sub-ohm tank fan but I have recently warmed to the latest influx of mesh coils. I can see the obvious advantages with convenience although I'm still not convinced with the cost...but still...I've had better flavour from others. It's not completely shit, I'd give the flavour a 6 out of 10 though.

As a side note, the Crown 4 tank also has some self cleaning fuckery going on...and I quote...

"Patented self-cleaning technology, no leakage problems, The Crown 4 atomizer can absorb the e-juice in the condensation holder through regular usage and vaporize it, It reduces juice leakage and waste and lessens the cleaning frequency"

Nuff said...

Now....although the main reason for me getting this kit was for the tank, I didn't really give the mod much thought, in fact....it's safe to say my attention was completely distracted away from it by the tank. This isn't a particularly difficult thing to do with me I'll grant you, I have the attention span of a puppy....

And although obviously I had seen images of it before, I just thought it looked a little....tacky?...But appearances are entirely subjective so I kept an open mind as I unpacked the kit and I have to say.....I was pleasantly surprised by what I found...

The Crown 4 mod is powered by two 18650 bats that can supply you with an industry standard 200 rampant wattages, and all this is kept in check by their own proprietary board - something which has apparently been improved to make it more resistant to dust and corrosion...not sure I've ever had a problem with dust but...okay. Resistance to liquid would have been a wiser choice me thinks, but.....who the fuck am I to judge.

The first thing you will notice when you pick the mod up is just how compact this thing is, noticeable when you put the batteries in..

I love that, it's perfectly pocket friendly.

The next thing you'll notice is the feel of it. As far as square dual battery box mods go, this has got to be one of the nicest hand feels I have tested. The edges are very nicely rounded and it just feels incredibly well made and solid - at first I thought it's construction was plastic but it's actually all alloy, it's just painted so thick that it feels like it's made of plastic. I know this because.....well....I don't always drop my mods, but when I do, I always make sure it's on a concrete floor...

Suffice to say it survived perfectly, in fact considering the impact I was very surprised at the tiny chip it created, quite the resilient little device, even the batteries stayed in.....nice.

The chip itself offers a rather self-absorbed amount of modes, why self-absorbed you may well ask?....Well, the only modes available are geared towards Uwells own coils, yes you get the normal Power VW mode which suits me fine, but it only offers a TC mode for SS904L....I mean they are really pushing this thing, but then you do get a TCR mode so you can tinker with whatever parameters you want for whatever metal you want to use. However, with the absence of a curve mode and a bypass mode I think Uwell have missed an opportunity to cater for a wider demographic of vapers, they could have stuck them in there easily enough.

Also an odd choice is the display...

Yes, it's kind of dated compared to a lot of devices these days, but my main gripe with it is the layout. It's very poorly laid out in my opinion, it just looks messy, like they tried to cram as much info as they could onto the relatively small display. You have a big gap to the left of the wattage, and then everything else all rammed together on the right - not a huge fan of that at all. It fucks with my OCD if I'm completely honest, there's just no aesthetical balance to what you're seeing....but it works easy enough and it is super simple to navigate; 3 clicks to change mode, 5 clicks on and off, up and down together to flip screen, and up and fire button to lock....you won't need the manual. A special mention goes out to 1w increments... 1w increments to me are what every mod should have....change my mind.

One thing I do absolutely adore on this mod however is the fire button...

The raised crown emblem not only looks the part, but feels very nice on your finger, there is absolutely zero rattle with it, and the clickyness is ON POINT, it really is a master class in fire buttons....love the shit out of that.

Two further points that are worthy of mention are both things which I forgot to take pictures of, look....I'm getting old....it took me ten minutes to remember the password for my own fucking site just to write this review....it's getting to the point where I can't be trusted to dress myself in the morning before leaving the house..

Firstly, the 510 plate, which will only take up to 25mm and is slightly raised with a collar, is very nicely done, it's not bolted from the outside but is apparently waterproof...

And secondly, underneath the mod you will find two little rubber strips which prevent it from slipping around on hard surfaces....I can't say I ever suffer from that problem seeing as I don't really spend any time vaping on a boat...but...it does make a very pleasing sound when you put the mod down...or....lack of sound...as the case may be, and I don't believe I have seen this done on any of my other mods before...

There....kind of anti-climatic really....but I didn't want you to miss out on such awe inspiring details.....(?)

The Specs



Uwell Crown IV Vape Starter Kit Parameters:

Size 52.5x25x138.8mm
Material Zinc Alloy & Stainless Steel & Glass & Silicone
Battery Type 2 * 18650 Batteries (not included)
Power Range 5-200W
Capacity 5ml (6ml with bubble glass)
Standby Current <50uA
Voltage Range 0.7-8V
Resistance Range 0.1-3ohm (VW)/0.1-1ohm (TC)
Temperature Range 200-600°F/100-315°C
Coil Type Dual SS904L Coil 0.2Ω (70-80W)
Dual SS904L Coil 0.4Ω (60-70W)
SS304 UN1 Coil 0.25Ω (55-65W)
FeCrAl UN2 Meshed Coil 0.23Ω (60-70W)
Thread Type 510
The Package of Crown 4 Kit comes with:

●1 x Uwell Crown 4 Mod (no cells)

●1 x Uwell Crown 4 Tank

●1 x Spare Glass Tube

●1 x 0.4Ω Coil (Pre-installed)

●1 x 0.2Ω Coil

●1 x Pack of Replacement O-rings

●1 x Micro USB Cable

●1 x User Manual

●1 x Drip Tip Cover

 

[Steampugs]

Final thoughts

My final thoughts on the Uwell Crown 4 kit would be thus - as far as the tank goes the only thing that lets it down are the coils. The tank itself is pretty much perfect in terms of build quality, machining and function, but even though there is a definite improvement with the mesh coil, the SS coils are dead ducks, they won't satisfy you and should be scrapped in favour of a different mesh variation. Saying that...the mesh coil isn't the best mesh coil either, it's fine, it does the job and for most vapers it will be perfectly adequate, but other manufacturers are creating better mesh coils right now and Uwell should really improve in this area I think, because if they did they'd be worthy of that Crown badge as they profess to be the King of the Sub-Ohm tank world.

But as it is they have included some pretty treasonous coils that seem hell bent on de-throning this wannabe royal upstart from the get go....which is just kinda rude when you think about it...

The mod however, is pretty special, just with minor flaws. On the plus side the build quality is exceptional, so very clean and well made - you can shake the crap out of this thing and you won't hear a single rattle anywhere. Even the battery door fits so seamlessly that you'd be hard pressed to find which side of the mod it's actually on, and there is not even the slightest hint of movement in it.

The hand feel for me is quite simply one of the best I have experienced in a box mod, it's so compact it fits perfectly in your hand, and is just so smooth and rounded that you'd hardly know it was there at all.

The only real bug bear for me is the display, I really don't like the layout at all, it makes my eyes kinda angry. But even this doesn't really affect the function of the device, although what might irk some is the lack of options in the menu for TC users...but only some, because if you use this mod on its own...which a lot of you will...and you like to temp control...but don't really understand the TCR values of your preferred coils...then...you only have a default TC setting for SS904L. More advanced users will of course be able to set the TCR value to suit, but that's not for everyone and nor does everyone understand how to use that function OR what in fact the TCR values of any given wire are.....obviously this doesn't bother me in slightest, because I'm normal (pfft) ....

As for the design of the Crown 4 mod well...yes...when I first saw images of it I thought it looked tacky AF, but it's actually quite nice, at least in silver...

The other colours I'm not really a fan of though....I don't think they bring anything to the 'let's try and not be tacky' table..

I don't expect it to look quite so good a few months down the line though as it's already showing signs of scratches and scuffs, which is a stark contrast to the beautiful finish of the rest of the mod (accidents aside).

All in all I would have to say that for me personally and the way I vape, this mod is very, very good. It's a joy to use as a straightforward power user and I would happily recommend it to anyone...but the best thing about the whole kit is something I haven't even mentioned yet...and that's the price..

The Price

At time of writing Sourcemore have the whole kit on offer for a very palatable £40.11/$48.77....which tells me two things, one is that the pound is really fucking shit right now, and two...that this is one hell of a bargain for a high quality kit. Find that deal here...

Uwell Crown 4 Kit

I think if Uwell work on their coil game then the Crown 5....should there ever be one....will be something to look out for, that being said, you could do much worse than picking up the 4.

As always the doors over at Steampugs are open 24/7, and there you will find a whole host of reviews from myself as well as the other members of the Steamteam, so feel free to peruse at your leisure.

And also if you would like to come and meet the team as well as a wealth of highly knowledgeable vape fiends who would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have, or just for general vape related chit chat, then head on over to our corner of the vapeverse we like to call our forum, it's free to join, has a very useful e-liquid mix calculator, and promises a warm and drama free welcome....find us here...

Vaping Community - Forum

Until next time

Pugs.