Can You Refill a Hayati Pro Max? What Actually Happens If You Try
Short answer: not the pod itself. Each pack pairs a sealed 2ml pod with a 10ml container of the same flavour — 12ml in total, which is where the 6000-puff rating comes from. The pod itself is not designed to be opened. So there is more liquid in the pack than the pod holds — but prising a sealed pod apart and pouring your own e-liquid in is a different thing, and it is the thing that goes wrong. Here is what is actually going on, and why the workaround videos cause more problems than they solve.
Prefilled is not the same as refillable
Hayati makes two different kinds of thing, and the confusion comes from mixing them up:
- Prefilled pod kits — Pro Max Plus, Pro Ultra Plus, Mini Ultra, Rubik, S1. The pod arrives sealed with liquid already in it. When it is empty, you fit a new pod.
- Refillable pod kits — a much smaller part of the range. These have an obvious fill port and are sold to be filled with bottled e-liquid.
If your device came with the flavour printed on the box, it is prefilled.
Prefilled does not mean the pack holds only 2ml. A Pro Max Plus pack is 12ml in total — the sealed pod plus a 10ml container of the same flavour — which is where the 6000-puff rating comes from. What you cannot do is open the pod and put something else in it.
Why people try anyway, and what goes wrong
You will find videos showing a prefilled pod being prised open and topped up with bottled liquid. It sometimes appears to work for a day. Three things then tend to happen:
- The seal never closes properly again. The pod housing is ultrasonically welded, not clipped. Once forced apart it leaks — usually into the battery compartment, which is how devices die.
- The coil is already spent. A prefilled pod is designed to last exactly as long as the liquid in it. Adding fresh liquid to an exhausted coil gives you the burnt taste people then blame on the liquid.
- The wrong liquid ruins it. These pods run nicotine salt at a specific VG/PG ratio. Filling with a high-VG shortfill designed for a sub-ohm tank floods the coil and it will not wick.
There is also a safety point worth stating plainly: forcing open a sealed unit sitting next to a lithium battery is not a good idea, and it voids any recourse you would otherwise have if the device failed.
The 2ml ceiling is not a Hayati decision. It comes from the UK rules on consumer e-cigarettes, which the MHRA sets out in full — the same rules cap nicotine at 20mg/ml and require every product to be notified before it can be sold. A prefilled pod that holds more than 2ml is not a better product; it is one that should not be on sale here.
What to do instead
Buy replacement pods for your range. They are the cheapest part of owning one of these devices — you are replacing a pod, not a whole kit, and the coil comes fresh with every one.
How to change a pod
Pro Max Plus pods pull straight off. There is no twist, no button, and no release catch:
- Hold the device body in one hand and grip the pod firmly.
- Pull straight up. It will feel stiff the first time — that is the magnets and the seal, not a catch you have missed.
- Wipe the contacts on the device with a dry tissue if there is any condensation.
- Push the new pod on until it seats with a click.
The Pro Ultra Plus works differently and has its own steps: its two liquid tanks sit in a carrier that you lift and twist off, rather than a pod you pull straight up. See changing a Hayati pod for the sequence. Whether the Pro Ultra Plus tanks can be refilled has its own guide.
If a new pod tastes of nothing for the first few draws, leave it standing upright for five minutes before using it. The wick needs to saturate, and drawing on a dry wick is what produces the burnt taste on a brand new pod.
Which pods fit which device
Pods are not interchangeable between ranges. A Pro Max Plus pod will not fit a Pro Ultra Plus, and the Mini Ultra takes its own. Check the range name on the pod packaging against the range name on your device — the shapes look similar enough to catch people out.
What about refilling a Rubik?
Same answer. The Rubik 7000 is a prefilled range; its pods are sealed and replaced rather than topped up.
These products contain nicotine, which is addictive. Over-18s only.
Where to get the right pod
The fix is the correct prefilled pod for your device. All replacement pods are here by range. If you genuinely want to refill, the Quokka kits are the ones built for it, and they take bottled nic salt.
Common questions
Can I refill my Hayati Pro Max?
Each Pro Max Plus pack pairs a sealed 2ml pod with a 10ml container of the same flavour — 12ml in total, which is where the 6000-puff rating comes from. The pod itself is not designed to be opened, so you fit a fresh one rather than prising it apart. For a device built around your own e-liquid, the refillable Quokka range is the honest answer.
Can you refill a Hayati Pro Max?
Not the pod itself. A Pro Max Plus pack holds 12ml — a sealed 2ml pod plus a 10ml container of the same flavour — so there is more liquid in the pack than in the pod. The pod is not designed to be opened, so when it is spent you fit a fresh one rather than forcing it apart.
Is the Hayati Pro Max refillable?
The Pro Max Plus is a prefilled pod kit, not a refillable one — the device is rechargeable and reusable, and it is the sealed pod that gets replaced. Hayati does make genuinely refillable kits: the Quokka range has a visible fill port and takes bottled e-liquid.
How do you change a Hayati Pro Max pod?
Grip the pod and pull it straight up off the device. There is no twist or release catch — it feels stiff the first time because of the magnets and the seal. Wipe the contacts with a dry tissue, then push the new pod on until it clicks into place.
How do you remove Hayati Pro Ultra pods?
On the Pro Ultra Plus 25000, lift the mouthpiece and twist it to release the carrier, then lift the carrier clear of the body with the tanks still in it. Slide the spent tanks sideways out, slide the new pack's tanks in colour-matched to their sides, and drop the carrier back in until it seats. Do not try to pull the tanks straight up out of the device: that is the Pro Max Plus action, and nothing on this device is magnetic. A £6.99 pack is the whole 22ml unit, a 2ml pod and the two 10ml tanks that feed it, and lifting and twisting the mouthpiece is also how you switch between its two flavours.
What happens if you refill a prefilled Hayati pod?
Three things typically go wrong. The housing is ultrasonically welded rather than clipped, so once forced open it leaks — often into the battery compartment. The coil is already spent, which gives a burnt taste. And bottled liquid at the wrong VG/PG ratio floods the coil so it will not wick.
Do Hayati pods fit all Hayati devices?
No. Pods are specific to their range. A Pro Max Plus pod will not fit a Pro Ultra Plus, and the Mini Ultra takes its own. Check the range name printed on the pod packaging against the range name on your device.