UK-based big hitters IVG are back with a new range of disposable vape kits – the IVG Smart 5500 range!
Founded and run by the Bawa family and serving up their first e-liquid flavour on the 5th March 2014, IVG have evolved into an absolute giant in the vaping game. With their products now being sold in over 100 countries serving millions of customers, giving them a huge global reach.
IVG’s e-liquids are TPD compliant and produced to the highest manufacturing standards in the UK.
Since 2016, IVG have won over 50 different international awards for their products and e-liquids. For instance in 2022 we awarded them the title of ‘Best UK E-Liquid Brand’ in our Ecigclick Awards! Which was voted on by vapers in recognition of the great products IVG have been putting out. Following on from similar successes in 2019 and 2021.
Recently, we’ve had a look at the IVG 6000 bar salts range, their incredibly popular 4 in 1 kits as well as their IVG Bar Favourites e-liquid. So let’s have a look at how IVG’s Smart 5500 kits shape up…
What Can We Expect From The IVG Smart 5500 Disposable Vape Kits?
These are marketed as the UK’s first prefilled, pre-charged auto refilling vape kits that can offer up to 5500 puffs depending on usage. Making these a revolutionary and innovative option for vaping!
IVG have designed the Smart 5500 to be a more cost effective option to traditional disposable vapes. For the price of two disposables you can get around five times the puffs that you would from two disposables. And that is all in one pocket friendly kit too!
As these require minimal set-up and come pre-charged and pre-filled. They offer an unparalleled level of convenience. All you have got to do is snap in one of the 10ml auto-refill pods and you have 12ml of e-liquid to vape in one kit. This is due to there also being a pre-filled 2ml tank with a mesh coil built into the kit!
A very clever auto-refilling system automatically feeds e-liquid from the auto-refill pod into the tank. So once it is installed you need not do anything to keep that tank topped up.
And the built in 1000mAh battery means that you can vape all through the day (and then some!) plus the battery can be recharged for multiple use.
These kits are set up for mouth to lung vaping and there’s a huge range of 30 flavours to pick from.
All of them are in 20mg nicotine salt strength, so you can get a fast acting nicotine hit without any sharp throat hit.
Here is an introduction video from IVG!
Flavours
IVG look to cover all the bases with this range, as there’s a whopping 30 flavours to pick from!
These flavours are inspired by their popular IVG disposables and bar salts ranges, with all the favourites featured here.
The flavours that make up the range are: Watermelon Strawberry, Tropical Fruits, Strawberry Raspberry Cherry, Strawberry Kiwi, Strawberry Ice, Red Apple Ice, Pro Blue, Polar Mint, Pink Lemonade, Pineapple Passionfruit, Pineapple Ice, Lemon Passionfruit, Lemon and Lime, Kiwi Passionfruit Guava, Grape, Frozen Watermelon, Frozen Lemon, Frozen Cherry, Triple Melon, Fizzy Cherry, Cola Ice, Classic Menthol, Blueberry, Blueberry Kiwi, Blue Sour Raspberry, Blue Razz Lemonade, Blue Razz Cherry, Blue Razz Blackcurrant and Blue Raspberry Ice.
Many thanks to IVG for sending through ten of the IVG Smart 5500 Disposable Vape Kits for review! Let’s dive in for a deeper look at these, as always all views are my own…
Specs/Features
- 91mm x 46mm x 22mm dimensions
- Built in 2ml prefilled pod with 10ml refill pod
- Auto filling system
- Up to 5500 puffs per device
- 20mg nicotine salt strength
- 1000mAh built in battery
- Rechargeable via USB-C
- Auto draw device
- Mouth to Lung (MTL) vape
- 30 different flavours
- Simple set up
Kit Contents
- IVG Smart 5500 device which has a 2ml prefilled pod built in
- Additional pre-filled 10ml pod to insert into the device
- Instruction manual
Design & Build Quality
These are box shaped vaping kits, designed to be quite discreet and pocket friendly. Each one in the range comes in a different colour depending on the flavour.
In terms of style, these reminded me of some squonking devices that I owned years ago!
You’ll notice the auto refill pod which takes up quite a large portion of the kit, which is clear enough to allow you to see how much e-liquid you have in the device.
This fits in perfectly thanks to the smooth grooves present on the kit and auto-refill pod. I’ll cover how this works in a bit more detail later on in the review!
They are comfortable to hold in the hand and feel quite lightweight as well, meaning that they are a good pocket carry.
I’ve got no complaints at all with the build quality! The IVG Smart 5500 kits are pretty robust, they look good and there’s no sharp edges or unsightly gaps present.
Quick Start Guide
Each kit has a pre-filled 2ml tank, but you are going to want to install the 10ml auto-refill pod before getting underway.
How To Install The Pod
- Remove the Red silicone protective cover from the side of the device.
- Align the grooves on the refill pod and the device before finally sliding it in with a satisfying click.
Then that is it, you are good to go!
Operation
As it is an auto draw pod system just take a puff on the device to vape.
There’s a small LED light present on the kit that is used as a battery life indicator.
To charge the kit, simply plug a USB-C cable into the charging port on the base.
The refill pod automatically feeds the built in tank inside the device so there’s no buttons to press or anything to re-fill it with e-liquid, it is all done automatically. That is convenience right there!
Performance
I won’t be reviewing all 30 flavours, as if I did I would be authoring a small novel! But I’ll be taking a look at a selection of ten flavours that IVG sent over. Let’s see how they fared…
Cola Ice
They say
A classic cola flavour infused with a blast of ice, reminiscent of sipping an ice-cold cola on a hot summer day.
We say
I must say, this one has got to be one of the best cola flavours that I have tried when it comes to a disposable or pre-filled pod system!
IVG just seem to nail the cola taste, which can be quite hard to nail. I find it rich, full flavoured and authentic right from the inhale. With the ice flavour note just adding another layer of authenticity to this. It’s been perfectly sweetened too, with just the right balance.
I’d say that I needed to take a bit of a deeper and longer inhale to really pick up on that icy blast, but taking that deeper inhale just elevates this to a whole new level!
I can tell that IVG have poured their mixing expertise into this one, producing an excellent, realistic flavour blend.
Lemon & Lime
They say
A citrus lovers dream, our Lemon & Lime liquid is zesty, refreshing and bursting with bright citrus flavour.
We say
This is another really well balanced flavour from the IVG Smart 5500 range!
Recently, I’ve found that a lot of the lemon and lime blends that I have tried have tasted like a lemon lime flavoured ice pop, but this one is a little different to me.
I get a balanced mix of lemon and lime flavouring, that tastes like a mix of lemon and lime flavoured sweets. I personally felt like it tasted like a mixture of lemon and lime Starburst. There’s quite a thick mouthfeel present here too.
If I’m being picky I’d say it could do with being just a touch sweeter, but that is just for my tastebuds! I would say most people will find this absolutely spot on.
Classic Menthol
They say
Our Classic Menthol delivers a smooth and refreshing vape that’s perfect for those who love a timeless flavour.
We say
I’m a fan of menthol flavours and I know how I like them – crisp, minty and with a nice cooling blast to them!
This one very nearly ticks all the boxes for me.
On the inhale there’s a full flavoured mint flavour, with a sweet and sharp note to it. This is followed up with a pretty intense menthol hit that gives a bit of throat hit too. In fact, it’s probably one of the stronger ones that I have tasted when it comes to a disposable!
This might be a little too intense for some people but it definitely does the job for me.
Watermelon Strawberry
They say
Savour the taste of summer with our Watermelon Strawberry juice, this is a luscious liquid bursting with fruity goodness.
We say
I’ve tried a fair few watermelon and strawberry blends recently (such is the industry obsession with watermelon flavouring, I’ve no idea why, I don’t know anyone that likes it!). And I’ve found them to be disappointing on the whole as the watermelon just tends to overpower the strawberry flavouring.
I find this to have a bit of a better balance. For starters, I can actually taste the strawberry flavouring and I’ve struggled to do so recently with some other watermelon and strawberry blends that I’ve tried. And the strawberry does compliment the watermelon flavouring pretty well.
So, on the inhale I get the watermelon flavour, but the strawberry then comes in to blend in pretty well with the watermelon notes. There’s a decent level of sweetener present here too.
It doesn’t taste as authentic as I would like it to, but the candied watermelon and strawberry flavours aren’t too over-flavoured or artificial tasting. So this is definitely going to appeal to fans of this particular combination.
Pro Blue
They say
Deliciously sweet and sharp raspberry flavours mixed with fresh blueberry and finished with an icy kick.
We say
This one went down particularly well with my wife, who enjoyed it so much she is re-ordering another one! So bonus points here already.
I get a simple blend of two flavours, but these are done very well. To me, the raspberry and blueberry flavours tasted quite authentic and there’s a good balance of the two to be found here.
I would agree that it is sweet and sharp, but IVG’s expert blending ensures that it isn’t overly so. The balance is pretty much perfect in my opinion!
Strawberry Raspberry Cherry
They say
Sweet strawberries, tangy raspberries, and succulent cherries create a flavour explosion.
We say
This has become quite the popular flavour when it comes to disposables. I was quite excited to try this one out, as I do very much like a strawberry, raspberry and cherry blend!
So I could definitely pick up on quite a full flavoured strawberry flavour and a very sweet and tangy raspberry. There seems to be quite a bit of sweetener present in this too and it definitely isn’t short on flavour.
I couldn’t quite pick up on the cherry flavouring as much as I would have liked to. The strawberry and raspberry flavours seemed to dominate this one from start to finish.
Blue Raspberry Ice
They say
This beautifully blended blue raspberry is complemented by a blast of icy coolness.
We say
Personally I felt this one tasted like the Pro Blue flavour that I reviewed above, just with a stronger icy finish to it.
I get the blueberry and raspberry combination, that is followed up by a good blast of koolada that nips at the back of the throat. I thought that the blueberry and raspberry tasted stronger here too, so it’s more of a full flavoured Pro Blue.
Much like the cola ice flavour, I felt that this benefited from a deeper and longer inhale to really get a strong icy finish to it.
Tropical Fruits
They say
A medley of exotic fruits that delivers a taste of the tropics, making every puff a taste sensation.
We say
I do like a tropical fruit combo and this one goes down a treat on a hot summer’s day. Not that we are getting much of those in the UK this year so far!
I get a realistic tasting blend of pineapple, mango and passionfruit, with all three of them complimented with some sweetener too. It’s like a nice, refreshing glass of a tropical fruit drink!
These three flavours add some good depth and complexity, making for a very tasty and refreshing summery vape.
Fizzy Cherry
They say
Tangy cherry is infused with a hint of fizz, creating a vape that’s both refreshing and moreish.
We say
I must say I was left a little disappointed by this one.
On the inhale I get a cherry flavour, but it is a bit of a bland and generic cherry and lacks the usual depth. The cherry flavouring is quite muted too and there’s no real fizz here to speak of no matter how deep of a draw I took on this.
It isn’t offensive tasting, but it is just let down by not only a lack of fizz, but a lack of flavour overall too.
Pineapple Passionfruit
They say
Dive into a tropical paradise with Pineapple Passionfruit vape liquid, tangy meets exotic.
We say
Well this certainly is a zingy, exotic little number! I can’t really fault the mixing here. IVG have done an expert job on this, delivering what I would imagine will be an all-day vape for many people out there.
The inhale delivers a mouthwatering blend of pineapple and passionfruit flavouring. The zingy pineapple blending in superbly with the juicy and sweet passionfruit flavour, making for quite a mouthwatering blend.
Both flavours seem to be equally balanced out and authentic tasting, this one ran the Cola Ice flavour very close for my pick of the range!
Device Performance
Mouth to lung vaping is the name of the game here and if you aren’t sure what that means then check out our guide to vaping styles!
Airflow is fixed to deliver that mouth to lung vape, with no way of adjusting it. You get a very smooth mouth to lung draw here, with no gurgling or spitback from the tank. So there’s no need to worry about getting e-liquid in your mouth.
Battery wise, these feature a rechargeable 1000mAh battery which is actually larger than a lot of other competitors. This will get you well over whole day of usage. Most users are going to probably get two days out of one of this before needing to pop it on for a charge.
And the battery can be recharged multiple times, so you can be confident that it isn’t going to run out before the e-liquid does.
I took the Cola Ice flavour with me for a recent camping trip away (albeit alongside a couple of other kits that I’ve got in for review at the moment) and it really did the trick.
I didn’t need to charge the battery once and I got consistent flavour from it for the entire weekend.
These kits are perfect for trips away like that!
One downside however is that I can’t see the ability to purchase refill pods separately for the kit? So once you have used up the 10ml refill pod then you need to dispose of the entire device.
This may well be because the coil is fixed into the device, with no way of replacing it. So this may not have lasted more than a second (or third) pods worth of sweet e-liquid anyway.
The system works really well too. I didn’t have an issue with dry hits or gurgling due to e-liquid flooding the coil. Just a consistent vape from start to finish.
A small bugbear that I found was that on three of these kits, some sticky residue was left on the pod after I peeled the sticker off – you might notice this in my pictures!
Now this isn’t a problem if you are at home and can wipe it off, though if you pick one of these up when out and about this may be a slight annoyance if it happens to you!
Puff Count
IVG state that these can offer up to 5500 puffs, which is actually quite a reasonable estimate for the 12ml of e-liquid in total that you get. Certainly a more realistic figure than some of the figures promoted by other disposable vapes out there!
In fact, during testing, I wasn’t too far off this figure at all. I counted 5,229 puffs which is pretty damn close and that was with taking some pretty deep and long draws on it.
Pros
- 12ml of e-liquid for under £12
- Large range of top quality flavours
- Simple to set up
- Very easy to use kit
- Excellent vape with smooth draw
- Robustly designed
- Auto refilling system works flawlessly
- Large capacity 1000mAh rechargeable battery
- Manufacturer puff count is almost spot on
Cons
- Sticky residue left on some of the pods
- Airflow is fixed
- Pods aren’t available to purchase separately meaning the whole kit needs to be disposed of when finished
- Virtually all fruit flavours apart from two mint variations, nothing here for the dessert e-liquid fans
- No Honey Crunch version in the range….booo!
Final Verdict
I must say that I’ve really enjoyed vaping away on these kits. I was already a fan of the e-liquids that IVG have released (Honey Crunch from the IVG Salt range is one of my all-time favourite e-liquids ever!). These devices pack that quality IVG flavour blending in easy to use disposable vape kits.
These kits really are dead simple to use, very well designed and manufactured and each one worked flawlessly during my time with them. Simply snap on a pod and you are good to go, with enough battery here to get you through a whole day of vaping.
Value for money is excellent here. You are getting a ready to use vape kit with 12ml of quality e-liquid for a shade under £12, which is a real bargain in my opinion.
These kits are absolutely well worth the money and will last a lot longer than a traditional throwaway disposable vape.
There’s also a huge range of different flavours to pick from, with all of the disposable favourites well covered in this range.
Now if IVG could only release a version that featured Honey Crunch flavour (hint hint)…I would happily award these an 11/10!!
Did you buy the IVG Smart 5500 Disposable Vape Kit? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below.
