iTaste SVD by Innokin

Innokin is perhaps one of the most underrated companies in the e-cigarette industry. While that has begun to change with the popularity of releases like the iTaste MVP, they have been putting out really high quality stuff for quite a while. Their latest release, the iTaste SVD ups the game and moves Innokin into the high-end advanced personal vaporizer category. Did they bring their A game? Find out in this iTaste SVD Review.

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	Product name	Innokin SVD Kit
	Available from	VaporAlley
	Price	$99.99
	Other	Includes 2x iClear 30 tanks
	Competing products	ProVari, ZMax
	Who’s it for?	Advanced users who want dual battery performance. Intermediate users looking for a solid variable wattage device.

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iTaste SVD Design

If one thing can be said about the iTaste SVD it is that it checks all the boxes. The feature list boasts variable voltage and wattage, a telescoping body that can accomodate all manner of batteries including dual 18350 batteries for high amperage vaping.

One other thing can be said about the SVD too. It’s really tall. Even in its shortest mode it comes in around the same size as other 18650 vaporizers. When the SVD is fully extended for dual battery use it’s positively towering over similar devices.

With that out of the way, Innokin’s latest iTaste is a departure from the company’s traditional work, yet there are some touches that remain uniquely Innokin. For example, the button lights up in a different color depending on remaining battery charge (green, yellow or red) the display features the same sleek mirror finished LCD display as the other iTaste devices.

What’s that? I’m getting too far ahead of myself? Ok, let’s step back and start with the overview.

The iTaste SVD is a tube-style device. It is constructed of stainless steel and is a two-piece design. This part of the body houses everything: the buttons, the circuitry and so forth. The second part is the telescopic tube that you twist in either direction to adjust the length to fit your battery.

The extension tube has stylized fluting, which have a slightly sharp edge to them. Familiar logos as well as consumer electronics approval labeling are etched in this part of the tube.

Moving up to the main part of the SVD there’s quite a bit going on. This iTaste model features three buttons (two adjustment and one activation) as well as the shiny screen. Etched along the body there’s the iTaste logo once again. More interestingly, there’s a series of lines connecting the buttons with letters on each. For some reason it reminds me of hieroglyphics or something.

What these markings signify are the functions for each button. The SVD doesn’t use a menuing system like most similar devices. There is a 3-click on/off feature, but otherwise there’s no repetitive clicking of the power button. Instead, buttons are used in combination to adjust different functions. For example, to view the resistance, hold both the plus and minus buttons (located on either side of the device).

Continuing to hold down the buttons will lock the device. This is an important one to know, because the iTaste will lock the device whenever the cartomizer is removed.

The display indicates when this happens just in case you forget. Unlike other iTaste family members, the SVD rocks a blue LCD display for a bit of a change. The power button is located opposite and above the display.

I actually had a little bit of a struggle with the button placement. When I first got the device, I kept trying to hit the power adjustment buttons instead of the fire button. Eventually, my muscle memory caught on, but something about the setup made me want to reach for the lower buttons initially.

One other thing I’d like to mention before jumping over to the use section. This is actually my second SVD. I received a pre-release beta model several months ago. I opted not to review that one since I prefer to talk about stuff you can actually go get if you like it.

Anyway, the release version of the SVD is far better in the quality department. Innokin is a company that listens to customer feedback and actually implements many of the suggestions.

I don’t think I would have called the preview version up to Innokin’s normally fantastic standards. However, I have no problem saying that about the current generation of the SVD. It is a solidly built product. I’ll go out even further on a limb and say this is also Innokin’s best performing product to date. Which brings us to…

iTaste SVD Performance

Innokin has been a little hit and miss in the variable voltage performance department. The original iTaste was absolutely horrible when it came to outputting the same voltage that was set on the device. Early versions actually flat-out lied to you and output whatever voltage they thought was ideal instead of what you set.

The MVP improved things quite a bit, though its high amp load performance, like many devices left much to be desired. The SVD changes that for the better.

Supporting dual-battery mode means that for the particularly power-hungry, there’s no problem torturing a dual coil cartomizer. The included iClear 30 dual coils are generally up to that job. You can see more about those in the review I wrote a while back.

Running in single-battery mode is also an enjoyable experience. While it can’t quite do the amperage load of two batteries, it’s as competent as most other single-battery devices. It does a good job of holding voltage steady and outputting something close to what you set.

Adjusting the sleeve for different sized batteries is a fairly straight forward affair. The threads are a little on the fine side, so it takes quite a few twists to change battery sizes. This is handy because it pretty much guarantees whatever battery you’re using will actually fit.

For single coil applications I tend to prefer running in wattage mode. The SVD moves wattage in .5 increments. After using the eVic which does it in .1w increments, I have to say I prefer .5w. There’s not a whole lot of voltage difference in .1 watt. Making enough of an adjustment to be noticeable means cranking things up by .5w anyway.

Reliable performance and flexibility along with a solid build quality make this Innokin’s best device to date.

Too Long; Didn’t Read

The Innokin iTaste SVD is the latest in the company’s iTaste family of variable voltage devices. This one eschews the square form factor for a traditional tube design. An impressive build quality and excellent performance in dual battery mode make this an excellent choice, Innokin or not. These tend to be out of stock a lot, but check over at VaporAlley.

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