The verdict in 30 seconds: two brilliant post-ban kits, two completely different answers to the same question. The Hayati Pro Max Plus is the endurance pick: one flavour at a time, up to 6,000 puffs per refill set, and running costs so low they make everything else look expensive. The SKE Crystal 4-in-1 is the variety pick: four flavours loaded at once, a twist to switch between them, and genuine Crystal Bar recipes in a rechargeable body. On the scoreboard the Hayati takes it, 8.5 to 7.9, almost entirely because of the money. But if you are the kind of vaper who gets bored of one flavour by lunchtime, the SKE is your kit and the points do not matter. The full breakdown is below.
Why this matchup is stranger than it looks
Most comparisons pit two devices that do the same job. These two do not. The Hayati Pro Max Plus is a 2ml pod fed by a sealed 10ml auto-refill reservoir, and it commits to a single flavour for the whole 6,000-puff session. The SKE Crystal 4-in-1 holds four separate 2ml pods in a rotating chamber, and you twist the mouthpiece to jump between flavours mid-session. One asks for commitment; the other rewards indecision.
That makes this a philosophy test, not a spec race. Do you want the longest, cheapest run possible, or do you want four flavours in your pocket at all times? Everything else flows from that answer. We have reviewed and tested both kits in depth, so this is scored on real-world behaviour, not box claims.
The spec sheet, side by side
| Spec | Hayati Pro Max Plus | SKE Crystal 4-in-1 |
|---|---|---|
| Pod system | 2ml working pod + 10ml auto-refill reservoir | 4 x 2ml prefilled pods in a rotating chamber |
| Claimed puffs | Up to 6,000 per refill set | Up to 2,400 total (up to 600 per pod) |
| Real-world puffs | Roughly 4,500 to 5,800 | Roughly 1,900 to 2,200, pod quality varies |
| Battery | 850mAh rechargeable | 950mAh rechargeable |
| Charging | USB-C, roughly 40 to 60 minutes (no cable in box) | USB-C, roughly 50 minutes (no cable in box) |
| Coil | Dual mesh, one per refill set | Mesh coil in each pod, one per pod |
| Nicotine | 20mg nic salt, some flavours in 10mg and 0mg | 20mg nic salt |
| Display | Small LED screen: battery and liquid levels | Single LED only, no percentage |
| Activation | Draw activated, no buttons | Draw activated, no buttons |
| Airflow | Fixed, mouth-to-lung | Fixed, mouth-to-lung |
| Typical kit price | £7.99 to £8.99 | £9.95 to £11.99 |
| Replacement pods | Around £5.49 per refill set | Around £7.99 for a 4-pack |
| Flavour range | 65-plus flavours | Roughly 21 flavours across colour editions |
| Size and weight | Tall slim pen, about 85 to 93g | Chunky rounded body, four pods make it wide |
The headline contrast is right there in the second row. The Hayati holds 12ml of liquid to the SKE's 8ml and rates itself for two and a half times the puffs, while costing less up front. The SKE fights back with a bigger battery per puff and the one trick the Hayati cannot do: flavour switching without a pod change.
The seven rounds, scored
| Round | Hayati Pro Max Plus | SKE Crystal 4-in-1 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flavour quality | 8.0 | 9.0 | SKE |
| Battery life | 8.0 | 9.0 | SKE |
| Puff count honesty | 8.5 | 7.5 | Hayati |
| Pod swap feel | 6.5 | 9.0 | SKE |
| Running cost per month | 10.0 | 6.0 | Hayati |
| Flavour range | 9.0 | 7.5 | Hayati |
| Value for money | 9.5 | 7.0 | Hayati |
| Total | 59.5 / 70 (8.5) | 55.0 / 70 (7.9) | Hayati |
Round 1: flavour quality, SKE wins
This is the round where reputation matters. SKE's 4-in-1 inherits the Crystal Bar flavour recipes that defined the disposable era: Lemon and Lime is genuinely zesty, Cola Ice has real fizz, and the berry blends are smooth without the syrupy heaviness that ruins some dessert profiles. Each pod has its own mesh coil sealed inside, so flavours never bleed into each other.
The Hayati's dual mesh coil is arguably the better piece of hardware. Flavour stays consistent from the first puff to the last of the 6,000, with none of the mid-pod drop-off that plagues cheaper kits. But Hayati's flavour house is bold, sweet and icy across most of the menu. If that is your style, you will rate it a 9. If you dislike heavy cooling, a chunk of the 65-plus range is not for you. SKE's range is narrower but safer for more palates, and it takes the round.
Round 2: battery life, SKE wins
The SKE's 950mAh cell is perfectly sized for its job. For a moderate vaper it comfortably outlasts the 8ml of liquid across all four pods on a single charge, so you rarely think about charging until the pods are done. The Hayati's 850mAh is impressive for the category and usually stretches a full day, but 12ml of liquid needs one to two recharges per refill set, and heavy users will charge nightly.
Both devices refuse to include a cable in the box, which costs them both half a point of goodwill. The Hayati claws some back with its LED screen, which shows actual battery and liquid percentages while the SKE leaves you guessing on a single breathing LED. But on the pure battery question, the SKE's cell is the quieter hero: bigger battery, less liquid to serve, zero anxiety.
Round 3: puff count honesty, Hayati wins
Treat every puff rating like a fuel-economy figure, but relative honesty still counts. The Hayati claims up to 6,000 and delivers roughly 4,500 to 5,800 in real hands, depending on draw length. That is up to 97 percent of the headline number, one of the most honest ratings in the big-puff category.
The SKE claims up to 2,400, or 600 per pod, and most pods land close to that. But sealed factory pods have a failure rate across every brand, and the occasional dud pod with a burnt taste from the start is a known complaint here. When a bad pod costs you a quarter of the kit's total, the honesty score takes a hit.
Round 4: pod swap feel, SKE wins by a mile
This is the SKE's entire reason to exist, and it works. Twist the mouthpiece, hear the click, and a different flavour is live. You never have to finish a pod before switching: start the morning on Lemon and Lime, move to Watermelon Ice after lunch, and the first pod waits exactly where you left it. It loosens with practice, but the twist is stiff at first and always needs two hands.
The Hayati is the opposite philosophy. One flavour per refill set, full stop. Changing flavour means swapping the whole pod assembly. If you vape one profile for weeks, this is a non-issue and arguably simpler. If you are a flavour hopper, it is the one thing that might rule the Hayati out entirely.
Round 5: running cost per month, Hayati demolishes it
This round is not close, and it is the one that decides the matchup for most people. Do the maths properly and the gap is enormous.
| Scenario | Hayati Pro Max Plus | SKE Crystal 4-in-1 | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|---|
| First month (moderate, ~10,400 puffs) | Kit £7.99 + one refill £5.49 = £13.48 | Kit £11.99 + 4.3 refill 4-packs £34.60 = £46.59 | Hayati £13.48 / SKE £46.59 |
| Steady monthly cost | Around £9.50 | Around £34.60 | Hayati £9.50 / SKE £34.60 |
| Cost per 100 puffs on refills | £0.09 | £0.33 | Hayati wins |
The Hayati's ongoing cost is under a tenth of a penny per puff. The SKE costs more than three times as much per puff, and its refill 4-pack at around £7.99 is actually more expensive than the Hayati's whole refill set at £5.49, for fewer than half the puffs. The October 2026 UK vape duty of £2.20 per 10ml of e-liquid nudged every big-puff price up a little, but it lands equally on both kits, so the gap holds. Our guide to vape juice prices puts the wider market in context, but inside the prefilled world, the Hayati's running cost is in a league of its own.
Round 6: flavour range, Hayati wins
Sixty-five-plus flavours against roughly 21 is not a contest, at least on paper. Hayati's menu spans fruit, ice, candy, drink and dual-flavour editions, so almost any vaper finds something. SKE's colour editions (Blue, Green, Red, Rose, White) are thoughtfully curated and the 4-pack format lets you mix your own combinations, but the ceiling is lower.
The caveat is the same as round one: Hayati's range is wide but leans sweet and cold. SKE's smaller menu covers more styles per flavour. For most buyers, though, 65-plus options including the big bestsellers wins the round.
Round 7: value for money, Hayati wins
Combine the lower kit price (£7.99 to £8.99 vs £9.95 to £11.99), the far cheaper refills, the screen, and the bigger battery, and the Hayati is the better value by any measure that counts money. The SKE justifies its price differently: you are paying for the rotating pod system and the Crystal Bar recipes, which no cheap kit can replicate. Whether that premium is worth it depends entirely on how much you value the twist. If you switch flavours three times a day, it might be. If you do not, you are paying extra for a party trick you will never use.
The flavour-switching question, answered honestly
Here is the uncomfortable truth about 4-in-1 devices: the novelty wears off for most people. The twist is thrilling in week one. By week four, most vapers have a favourite pod that gets 80 percent of the puffs and three pods gathering metaphorical dust. The SKE still works perfectly as a single-flavour kit in that scenario, but then you have paid £9.95-plus for a system you barely use, with a £7.99-per-cycle running cost.
Be honest with yourself. If you genuinely rotate flavours through the day, the SKE is the best execution of the idea on the UK market and nothing else scratches that itch. If you just like having a backup flavour for emergencies, a cheaper single-pod kit plus an occasional second flavour pod does the same job. And if you commit to one flavour for weeks, the Hayati's single-mindedness is a feature, not a limitation.
Pick your winner: the vaper-type guide
Buy the Hayati Pro Max Plus if you want the cheapest legal way to vape 6,000 puffs, value a screen that kills battery and liquid anxiety, vape one flavour for days at a time, or want the biggest flavour menu in the category.
Buy the SKE Crystal 4-in-1 if you switch flavours several times a day, are loyal to Crystal Bar flavour recipes, want the smoothest disposable-like draw on a 4-pod system, or prefer a battery you never have to think about mid-week.
Look elsewhere if you want clouds or adjustable power (the Geek Bar Pulse X plays a different game entirely), want the absolute lowest long-term cost (a refillable kit with bottled liquid still beats both), or want something pocketable for nights out (the SKE is chunky, the Hayati is tall).
If you are coming from cigarettes rather than disposables, our cigarettes vs vaping breakdown is the honest starting point on what to expect from either device. And if you are still weighing disposable-style options generally, the best disposable vapes roundup is the natural next read. For a single-format deep dive, see our SBX vape review.
Final verdict
The Hayati Pro Max Plus wins this head-to-head, 8.5 to 7.9, and the win is deserved. It costs less to buy, dramatically less to run, holds more liquid, tells you its battery percentage, and stays honest about its puff count. For the average UK vaper who wants a reliable daily driver, it is the better purchase by a distance.
But scores are averages, and you are not an average. The SKE Crystal 4-in-1 does the one thing the Hayati cannot, four flavours in one device with a twist, and it does it with the flavour recipes that made SKE a household name. If that is what you are shopping for, the scoreboard is irrelevant: buy the SKE and enjoy it.
And if all of this feels a bit much, our comparison archive on VapeFeat is there to help you narrow it down further.
FAQ
Is the Hayati Pro Max Plus really cheaper to run than the SKE Crystal 4-in-1?
Yes, by a large margin. On replacement pods the Hayati costs under 0.1p per puff against roughly 0.33p per puff for the SKE, which works out at around £9.50 a month versus £34.60 for a moderate vaper.
How many puffs do you actually get from each device?
The Hayati claims up to 6,000 and delivers roughly 4,500 to 5,800 in real use. The SKE claims up to 2,400 across its four pods and delivers roughly 1,900 to 2,200, depending on draw length and the occasional dud pod.
Can you switch flavours on the Hayati Pro Max Plus?
Not mid-session. One flavour lasts the whole refill set, and changing flavour means swapping the whole pod assembly. The SKE Crystal 4-in-1 is the flavour-switcher's device: twist the mouthpiece and a different pod is live.
Which device is better for ex-disposable vapers?
Both were designed for them. The SKE feels more familiar because of its Crystal Bar flavours and the zero-commitment twist. The Hayati feels more familiar because of its disposable-like pen shape and single-flavour simplicity, at a fraction of the running cost.
Do either of these kits include a charging cable?
No, neither includes one in the box. Both charge over standard USB-C, so a phone cable does the job, but it is an annoying omission on both sides.