Starter Kit Reviews

IVG SMART MAX

Hot off the press, IVG are future proofing their latest products with the release of the Smart Max

by Stephen Gitsham
May 7, 2025

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IVG sent me over one of their new Smart Max devices and eight flavours to have a pop at, and I’ve been using it for the past wee bit as the flavours are very nice.

IVG have moved into the replaceable pod market quite quickly with the IVG Pro, SAVR, and this new, larger capacity kit. There are now many versions of their devices in both replaceable pod and disposable forms out to let people enjoy the flavours that they’re so well known for whilst they adapt to the changing market.

The Smart Max has a 1000mAh rechargeable internal battery, and the pods give you 12ml of their lovely juice to keep you going for a long time. The pods are 20mg nic salt juices, and there are twenty flavours to choose from so there’s bound to be one, at least, for everyone. There’s a battery level indicator on the front of the device, and you can switch between eco and boost mode, depending on which you prefer.

And that was the first puzzle for me. I didn’t get the boxes or instructions for this kit or the pods as my samples were pre-release, so I was going in a bit blind with just a cardboard box filled with goodies. The pods were pretty intuitive to figure out. There’s a 2ml pod with a long mouthpiece on it and a blocky 10ml pod that holds the reservoir. You just need to open both packs that you get, take all of the silicone bungs out along with the sticker off the bottom of the 2ml pod and then fit them together till they click. It’s a good way to do it as the juice has already soaked what cotton there is in the 2ml pod so you can just fire it in the kit and vape away.

When you do start to vape, there’s an indicator on the screen that shows two flame icons, as well as the battery percentage. That, I assume, means you’re on boost mode. I did have a look around the whole thing to try to find a button for switching modes but there’s nothing, so it wasn’t until I thought about it a bit and tried taking 3 quick puffs until I managed to change that to 1 flame icon, which I assume is eco mode. Now that won’t be an issue for anyone else as they’ll have a manual or will be able to use an online manual, but it does show that I am cleverer than I thought and I’m quite pleased with myself for figuring it out!

Overall, the Smart Max is nicely designed, there’s a comfortable feel about it, without it being too big, considering how much juice is in there. It’s also nice and light, so you won’t be weighing your pockets down. There’re no visible airflow holes so you won’t cover them by holding the whole thing in your hand either. I like that.

The only issue I have with it is that the juice level window on the side is near impenetrable so I can’t see how much juice is left in the pod. Please bear in mind that I have a prototype version of the pods so it’s possible that IVG will change that before full release. I can already see that there’s branding on the retail version of the pods and mine do not have that so I’m reasonably confident that the retail pods will be that little bit lighter in colour and you’ll be able to see the juice level.

But, as always, it’s about the flavours and the vape. The vape is good, it’s a nice draw, similar to most disposable kits and the other replaceable pod kits I’ve tried out. There’s a reasonable restriction for MTL, and I’d say it’s about medium for me. I prefer a little looser personally, but it does resemble a cigarette draw, which is the whole point for getting people off the smokes.

On to the flavours and again, as always, there’s a certain level of sweetener and cooling in these pods. I’m used to them now but those who are still sweetener averse should probably try something else. But for those who do like the sweet, sweet taste of these types of juices, they’re good, while still tasting like the flavours they’re supposed to be, which can be tricky for some manufacturers. IVG, however, have always been about the sweet juices, and they have the expertise to keep the e-liquid tasty, while also being sweet and cool.

I’m also aware that I’ve tried a few IVG kits/juices over my time as a reviewer here on POTV, so it’d be easy to copy and paste from older reviews, but I realise that recipes change, and so do my taste buds so I’ll go over what these ones taste like to me right now and apologies if it sounds the same as I’ve written before or completely different!

Blue Sour Raspberry

There’s a slight fizz effect from the raspberry, and the raspberry is more forward tasting than the blue aspect but the blue does come through and it’s fruity rather than dry as it can sometimes be. There’s a nice amount of cooling and sweetener, but they work to enhance the overall flavour, rather than work against it like they can sometime do.

Retro Orange

This is a new one on me and it’s quite mouthwatering. It’s a sherbety orange, with a smaller orange flavour, like a mandarin or a tangerine, rather than a proper big orange. Can I say ORANGE again more. It’s quite nice, but the sweetener is a bit much for me, although the wife loves it so we’re all different.

Triple Mango

The wife does not like mangos as a fruit. She thinks they taste like dirt and that does transfer to the vape juice as well, but for me it’s more of an earthiness than dirt and it goes well with the mango flavour. It’s very slight but it makes it that wee bit more authentic, and I do enjoy that. The mango here is quite a creamy tasting mango with no hint of perfume or a floral aspect that ruins them for me sometimes. It’s smooth, fruity, and sweet, just how I like it.

Lemon Lime

The lemon hits you straight away, then the lime comes in to make your mouth water a touch. It’s a nice effect. Overall, it’s like a lemon sherbet sweetie with a kick of lime on the end, and I really do enjoy it.

Classic Menthol

This flavour can be hit or miss, and this one is, thankfully, a hit. It’s a pepperminty but sweet menthol flavour with an emphasis on the menthol. Like a lot of menthol vapes it’s decently refreshing, and this one is sweet, so it stays on your lips and in your moth for a bit.

Fizzy Cherry

I have a love for cherry flavours these days, and this one is a good one for me. There is no marzipan aspect or over flavouring, leaving a light, breezy, and juicy cherry flavour that is not overly strong and works wonderfully with the sweetener and cooling. There is a slight fizz there for me as well, and overall, it’s nicely fruity.

Watermelon Strawberry

As usual, the watermelon comes in strong here but the strawberry weaves in amongst that to mellow it out a little and add to the profile overall. It’s sweet, but the inclusion of the strawberry suggests that anyway. A good take on the flavour.

Strawberry Raspberry Cherry

The raspberry and cherry mix really well, with the more subtle strawberry running through as well. It’s very well mixed and makes for its own flavour altogether, which I always like. I’m a berry lad so I’m always going to like these ones. All the flavours are subtle in their own way but mixed together they create a lovely combo.

Final Thoughts

The Smart Max itself is nicely simple, you fit the pods together, pop them in then vape. There are no buttons to confuse people coming from disposables and 3 quick puffs are enough to change the boost mode to eco mode for a more sedate draw.

It’s a light device, with comfortable edges for holding it and you get a nice amount of juice in th4e pods to keep you vaping for a while.

I like the IVG flavours as they have the sweetness that people enjoy, while still tasting like they’re supposed to. They’re consistent and I like that as well.

If the Smart Max sounds like something you would enjoy, head over to IVG where you can pick up the retail version for ££10.95 per kit.

Many thanks to IVG for sending the Smart Max in for review.

Pros

Simple to set up and use
No buttons
Flavours are good as always

Cons

Can’t see the juice level but that may change with retail release

Stephen Gitsham

Reviewer at POTV

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I was a very militant smoker for many years…why would I stop doing the only thing I had left that I liked doing? Then I fell into vaping in 2017. My wife bought a cheap kit off from Amazon that stopped working and I took it to a local vape shop to see what they could do with it. An hour later and full of new knowledge about watts, ohms, and juice strength, I headed home with a new nautilus mini tank for her and raved to her about the helpful guy in the shop. I must have bored her with all my new found information. I tried her vape that night, and a week later bought my own kit. Then I found POTV and the amazingly helpful and generous people on it. A month later I was making my own (disgusting) vape juice, and a month after that I was winding coils for my new RDA. Six years on and I'm much better at making juice, and I now have no money but lots of shiny mods and tanks