Read this first, because it changes how you should use this comparison. The two devices in this head to head are single use disposables, and since 1 June 2025 it has been illegal for businesses to sell or supply single use vapes in the UK. That ban covers devices with a battery you cannot recharge and liquid you cannot refill, with or without nicotine.
That does not make this comparison pointless. Both names live on in rechargeable prefilled pod kits that carry the same flavours and the same 600 puff idea, and both originals are still sold legally in some markets outside the UK. This guide settles the original head to head honestly, on flavour, draw, design and battery, and it tells you which modern successor to buy instead if you are shopping in the UK now. No nostalgia, and no winner picked on flavour count alone.
The short answer
If you want the widest choice and the easiest device to live with, the Elf Bar 600 wins the original contest. Its rounded pen shape feels natural in the hand, its flavour range runs to more than 25 options, and its slightly larger 550mAh battery gives it a small edge in making it through the full 2ml of liquid. It is the safer blind pick.
If you want the punchiest, most polished single flavour experience, the SKE Crystal Bar makes a serious case. Its clear shell looks striking, its mesh coil delivers a clean and consistent taste, and its best flavours taste sharper than the equivalent Elf Bar versions. It loses on range, and it loses the overall verdict by a narrow margin, but flavour first vapers often preferred it anyway.
The specs, side by side
Both devices were built to the same UK template. Each held 2ml of nicotine salt liquid at 20mg strength, each was draw activated with no buttons and no settings, and each promised up to 600 puffs. Puff counts are always approximate, because a long, hard draw uses more liquid than a short, gentle one.
| Feature | Elf Bar 600 | SKE Crystal Bar 600 |
|---|---|---|
| Puffs | Up to 600 | Up to 600 |
| E-liquid | 2ml nicotine salt, 20mg | 2ml nicotine salt, 20mg |
| Battery | 550mAh, non rechargeable | 500mAh, non rechargeable |
| Coil | Cotton coil, mouth to lung draw | Mesh coil, mouth to lung draw |
| Shape | Rounded pen, 16 x 104mm | Flat rectangular bar, 17 x 17 x 104mm |
| Flavour range | More than 25 flavours | Around 28 flavours in the original range |
| Activation | Draw activated, no buttons | Draw activated, no buttons |
| Best for | Widest choice, easy first device | Sharper flavour, standout design |
Two rows explain most of the real world difference. First, the battery gap. Elf Bar’s 550mAh cell against Crystal’s 500mAh cell is only a 50mAh difference, but in a device with no charging port, every milliamp counts. The Elf Bar was slightly less likely to die with liquid still left in it, which is the most annoying way for any disposable to end. Second, the coil. Crystal’s mesh coil heats liquid more evenly across a larger surface, which tends to produce a cleaner, more defined flavour. Elf Bar’s cotton coil is no slouch, and its flavour stayed consistent across the life of the device, but it rarely delivered the same crisp top notes.
Design in the hand and in the pocket
Pick up an Elf Bar 600 and it feels like a chunky pen. The rounded body, roughly 16mm wide and 104mm long, sits comfortably between the fingers, and the soft touch finish gives it grip without feeling sticky. It disappears into a jeans pocket. For a device meant to be carried all day, that unobtrusive shape is a genuine strength.
Pick up a Crystal Bar and the first impression is completely different. The flat, rectangular body, about 17mm by 17mm and 104mm long, is wrapped in a clear shell that shows off a shiny, metallic two tone inner. In the hand it feels solid and a little more present than the Elf Bar, and the flat sides make it easy to grip. In a tight pocket, though, the wider flat shape is slightly less forgiving than the Elf Bar’s rounded pen.
Neither design is objectively better. If you want a device that vanishes into your day, take the Elf Bar. If you want a device that looks like something, take the Crystal. On pure pocketability, the Elf Bar takes the round by a nose.
Flavour character, not just flavour count
Here is where most comparisons go wrong. They count flavours, declare Elf Bar the winner, and stop. Count matters, but character matters more, because you will vape one flavour at a time, not all 25 at once.
Elf Bar’s range is built for exploration. Fruit flavours dominate, with ice and menthol variants alongside tobacco, cola, energy drink and candy options. The house style is smooth, sweet and approachable. Blue Razz Lemonade is bright and fizzy without being harsh, Watermelon is juicy and straightforward, and Kiwi Passion Fruit Guava became a favourite because it balances three fruits without any one of them taking over. The weakness is that some subtler flavours can taste a little soft toward the end of the device.
Crystal’s range is smaller and more curated. The house style is punchier and more defined. Blueberry Sour Raspberry tastes like its name, with the sour edge actually present rather than implied, Fizzy Cherry has a sherbet lift that the Elf Bar equivalent never quite matched, and the menthol and ice flavours feel colder and cleaner. The mesh coil deserves much of the credit here, because by heating more evenly it keeps the top notes alive longer.
So who wins flavour? If you measure by choice, Elf Bar, by a wide margin. If you measure by the quality of a single great flavour, Crystal edges it. Most buyers should weigh the second measure more heavily. Find three flavours you love on one device and you will be happier than owning a menu of 25 you feel lukewarm about.
The flavour shortlists
Rather than list every flavour either brand ever made, here are the picks that consistently stood out. For Elf Bar, start with Blue Razz Lemonade, Kiwi Passion Fruit Guava, Watermelon and Strawberry Ice. Tobacco and menthol vapers should try the straightforward tobacco and menthol options before the sweeter blends, because Elf Bar’s simpler flavours are often its most reliable.
For Crystal, start with Blueberry Sour Raspberry, Fizzy Cherry, Watermelon Ice and Lemon Lime. If you like icy flavours, Crystal’s ice range is the strongest reason to pick it over Elf Bar. Notice the overlap: both brands cover the same popular ground, because those flavours sell. The difference is execution. Elf Bar rounds the edges off. Crystal sharpens them.
Draw, throat hit and the last puff problem
Both devices are mouth to lung vapes, which means you draw vapour into your mouth first, then inhale, much like smoking a cigarette. That tight, cigarette-like draw is exactly what most new switchers want, and both devices deliver it without any adjustment needed.
The Elf Bar draw feels slightly looser and more relaxed. It is easy on the throat, the 20mg nicotine salt gives a satisfying hit without harshness, and the vapour production is modest and discreet. The Crystal draw feels a touch tighter and more focused, which concentrates the flavour and gives a slightly firmer throat hit from the same 20mg strength. Neither is harsh, and neither produces large clouds, because that was never the point of a 600 puff device.
Now the last puff problem. As liquid runs low, flavour can fade and a device can start to taste dry. Crystal’s mesh coil handles this phase better than most, holding flavour longer before the drop off. Elf Bar’s larger battery helps in a different way, by making it less likely the battery gives up before the liquid does. Crystal wins the flavour consistency round, Elf Bar wins the battery confidence round, and overall this is a draw.
Battery and what 600 puffs really means
Six hundred puffs sounds precise. It is not. Your puff count depends on how long and how hard you draw, and a heavy vaper can finish a 600 puff device in a day while a light vaper can stretch it over several days.
With that caveat, the Elf Bar’s 550mAh battery gave it a small but real advantage. A disposable battery cannot be topped up, so the cell has to last as long as the liquid. When a battery dies early, the remaining liquid is wasted. Elf Bar owners reported this less often than Crystal owners, and the 50mAh gap is the most plausible explanation. A rechargeable battery removes this problem entirely, which is one reason the successor pod kits are genuinely better devices.
What to buy now in the UK: the successors
This is the most useful section if you are reading from the UK. Both brands have replaced their single use originals with rechargeable prefilled pod kits that keep the flavour recipes and the 600 puff per pod idea, while changing only the part the law objected to. You keep the battery and replace just the pod.
The SKE successor keeps the Crystal name, with a rechargeable 500mAh battery, USB-C charging, a 1.2 ohm mesh coil and 2ml pods at 20mg. Its pod range is wide, around 35 flavours, using the same Crystal flavour recipes that made the original popular.
The Elf Bar successor follows the same pattern, with a slim rechargeable device, USB-C charging and 2ml prefilled pods at 20mg, plus a broad pod range covering the familiar Elf Bar flavours. Its strength is the same as the original’s: choice.
Over weeks and months, the pod kits also cost less to run than buying a whole new device every time, because you are only replacing a small pod rather than a battery, a coil and a shell. They produce less waste for the same reason, which is exactly what the ban was designed to encourage. If you are choosing between the two successors, use the same logic as the verdict below. Flavour intensity and design point to SKE, breadth of choice and easy everyday use point to Elf Bar.
Spotting fakes and staying safe
Both the Elf Bar 600 and the Crystal Bar were among the most counterfeited vapes of their era, precisely because they were so popular. A fake can carry the wrong nicotine strength, a poor quality battery, or liquid that does not match the label, so this section matters more than it looks.
Buy from established, reputable sellers, and be suspicious of prices that look far below the going rate. Check the packaging for clear health warnings, correct nicotine labelling, and a batch or authentication code where the brand provides one, and verify that code through the brand’s own checking route rather than trusting a sticker alone. If the flavour tastes chemical or burnt from the first puff, stop using the device and dispose of it responsibly.
The verdict, by type of vaper
Overall winner: Elf Bar 600, by a narrow margin. It wins on flavour range, pocketability and battery confidence, and it is the easier recommendation to make without knowing someone’s taste.
Choose the Elf Bar 600, or its pod kit successor, if you want the widest flavour menu, if you are new to vaping and want the most forgiving first device, or if you like switching flavours often.
Choose the SKE Crystal Bar, or its pod kit successor, if flavour intensity is your top priority, if you love icy and sour flavours, or if you found Elf Bar flavours a little soft for your taste.
Choose a rechargeable pod kit either way if you are in the UK, because that is the legal route to the same experience now, and it is the better device in the long run. The originals deserve their place in vaping history. The successors deserve your money today.
Frequently asked questions
Are Elf Bar 600 and SKE Crystal Bar still legal in the UK?
No, not as original single use disposables. Since 1 June 2025, businesses in the UK cannot sell or supply single use vapes. The legal alternatives are the rechargeable prefilled pod kits from both brands.
Which tastes better, Elf Bar 600 or SKE Crystal Bar?
It depends on what you mean by better. Elf Bar offers more flavours and a smoother, sweeter style. Crystal offers sharper, more defined flavours, especially in icy and sour profiles, thanks to its mesh coil.
How long does a 600 puff device last?
It depends on how you vape. A light vaper may get several days from one device, while a heavy vaper may finish it in a day. With a pod kit successor, the same 600 puff estimate applies per pod, but you keep the battery.
What nicotine strength are they?
The UK versions of both originals used 20mg nicotine salt liquid. Nicotine salt gives a smoother throat hit than older freebase liquid at the same strength, which suits mouth to lung vaping well.
Can I use Elf Bar pods in a SKE device, or the other way round?
No. Each brand’s pods only fit its own devices, and even within one brand, different kit lines use different pod formats. Check the exact device name on your kit before ordering pods.
The bottom line
The Elf Bar 600 vs SKE Crystal Bar contest was never really about specs. On paper the two devices are nearly identical: 2ml, 20mg, around 600 puffs, draw activated, pocket sized. In the hand, though, they have distinct personalities. Elf Bar was the friendly generalist, easy to carry, easy to like, with a flavour for every mood. Crystal was the stylish specialist, sharper tasting and better looking.
If you are settling an old argument, Elf Bar takes the trophy, narrowly. If you are shopping today, let the successors settle it for you instead. Try a pod from each range, keep the one whose flavours you actually reach for, and enjoy the fact that the better version of both devices is the one you no longer have to throw away.
For wider current options, the best vape guide is a useful next step.
If you want to see how Elf Bar’s larger multi flavour kits compare with a rival system, the 4-in-1 showdown covers that format in detail.
The original single device version is covered in depth in the Elf Bar 600 review.
SKE’s multi flavour system gets its own treatment in the SKE Crystal 4-in-1 review.
You can return to the VapeFeat homepage for the latest comparisons and guides.