Looking to start DIY, help?

[Andrew Freeman]

I have been using my Vision Spinner 1300 and Kanger T3s for a couple of months now, and I am getting bored.

I just placed my order for my first mod, a K100, and I was wanting to start DIY'ing. But I am looking for help deciding on what to order.

Could anyone help with a good list of quality nic, pg/vg and a couple really good basic flavors for solo use as well as mixing? Also, where to order?

I have been reading, but got lost considering the differences in quality and flavor.

I was considering going through ecigexpress, but still do not know what flavors are good to start with...

 

[oldbikeguy]

Check out Wizzard labs site they have about everything you will need,for flavors if you like fruit try Juicy peach ,Pear ,any of the Strawberry thats just a few there are hundreds of them out there and above all Don't Gamble with safety wear propper PPE when working with nicI also buy stuff from Kim at one stop DIY shop good luck and have fun

 

[lilmrsyeti]

Wizardslabs is a good place for your Nic and even flavorings...but, they are out of stock so often on a good bit of their stuff, I have quit even going to their site to look to see if they are even in stock. I've been using Best Electronic Cigarettes and E-Liquid - MyFreedomSmokes.com for my last couple orders and they are great! They always ship out within one day, they always ship my stuff Second day Priority Mail..and I like that they ship my Nic in Amber glass bottles. They are only a couple dollars more than WL..and it's worth every penny, not having to wait on WL to get back in stock.

As far as flavorings..what do you normally like to Vape..tobaccos, fruits, sweets? That will help us to know what to recommend.

 

[vernhall]

The E Cig eGo, E juice, Mods, Cartomizers, Liquid Nicotine, DIY Flavorings is also a great source for DIY supplies... As stated, don't skimp on safety when working with the nic... But other than some gloves and goggles all you'll need to get started are a few syringes and flavorings to get started... Check out the recipes, but I'd suggest starting with single flavors so you get used to mixing and can get familiar with the flavor profiles... TFA ( at The Perfumers Apprentice) Perfumers Apprentice - The Flavor Apprentice - World of Flavors is the best for flavorings, IMO, along with the Vaping Zone concentrates...

 

[Harlen]

You must ask your self what do I like ,the hardest thing for me was to get to know it didn't need to be a tobacco lol
I love peach ,orange cream ,berry anything ,white grape ,there's just so manny lol
To start I would stick with the organic flavors and 100% Vg thinned out with Distilled water at 5% you can adjust as you like .
If you have any Q just ask

 

[dannyv45]

Also, where to order?

I have been reading, but got lost considering the differences in quality and flavor.

I was considering going through eCigExpress, but still do not know what flavors are good to start with...

For the new DYIer the only way to go is with a good flavor manufactor.

Start at ECexpress and start with the hangsen flavors. There the prefered flavor of seasoned mixers including myself. They are very good and very easy to work with.

As far as what flavors to get only your taste buds can answer that so get the flavors that sound good to you. I recommend a 50PG/50VG mix at your prefered NIC level for hangsen flavors.

Hangsen e-Liquid Flavoring | ecigExpress

 

[vapero]

I just got my hangsen order and I'm really happy with them, but also check out vapingzone their super concentrated flavors are really really easy to mix and require no steeping even with tobaccos (they do get better with it but are really great right after mixing) I also got my hangsens from them and seem to be great (some guys report that their hangsens are past their due date and a bit tasteless but not for me yet) I also got my pg, vg and nic from them

 

[Moogle]

Get plenty of bottles. Here are my favorite sources:

wholesalevials.com

Amazon.com: Cobalt Blue Dropper Bottles 1/2 Oz - 12 Per Package: Beauty

Also check out:

E-Liquid Recipes

Happy DIY'ing!

 

[cookiebun]

It's hard to recommend flavors. How dead are your taste buds? How impatient are you?
Simple fruits are probably the easiest to make and don't require a long time to steep. If you want to combine several flavors that requires practice and patience.
Where to buy:
Ecig express, Vaping Zone, High Desert Vapes are all good choices. Be sure to look for coupon codes. High Desert Vapes may still be running their 20% discount until midnight tonight. I just got several flavors from them today that I ordered Monday.

Edit:
Coupon Code For High Desert Vapes " 2YEAR" Expires at midnight. 20% off.

 

[dannyv45]

Get plenty of bottles. Here are my favorite sources:

wholesalevials.com

Thanks for that. Just ordered 72 6ml clear glass vials for $30.00 with free shipping..... Nice.

Got the more expensive teflon lined cap bottles. Should hold up good and be pretty leak proof when completely submerged in my UC.

The foam lined caped bottles are cheaper at 24.95 per 72pcs. but the foam will wear out quickly and leak.

 

[DrBeaker]

I would get my flavors from the flavor apprentice their up here in Northern California and I would get my nicotine from my freedom smoke.com

 

[JulesXsmokr]

Thanks for that. Just ordered 72 6ml clear glass vials for $30.00 with free shipping..... Nice.

Got the more expensive teflon lined cap bottles. Should hold up good and be pretty leak proof when completely submerged in my UC.

The foam lined caped bottles are cheaper at 24.95 per 72pcs. but the foam will wear out quickly and leak.

Thanks for both of your inputs !

 

[Andrew Freeman]

Thank you all for your help!

My main reasons for asking were this:

The stated differences in quality of nics and flavors has confused me, and I was looking for a little guidance.

I have seen many of the places to buy different items from, and have been price shopping LOTS!!! But, after hearing that some places have "better" nic than others...it changed how easy it was to just price shop.

I started vaping at 18mg, and have gotten to 12, when I get my RBA finally setup, I plan on dropping to 6mg.

My favorite flavors are all over the place, I like just about everything that doesn't taste chemically, I do not even mind "artificial" as long as it is not a bad chemical taste. For example, an artificial watermelon is not necessarily bad to me, but if it tastes perfumey or chemically, that is bad.

My favorite flavors I have had so far are Doc Bailey's Kaktus Kooler, Highbrow Dark chocolate mint, Roar Hawaii Wai, Vapor Chef Coolcumber Melon, unknown brand Vanilla Bean decadence and unknown brand purple haze, a nice cinnamon with some grape-ish flavors lingering...it leaves your mouth feeling wet and juicy!

I also like many simple fruits, simple sweets, and any minty-fresh vape.

I have not yet had the opportunity to explore very complex juices or anything...but I am VERY interested in a good RY4, some cinnamon raisin bread, banana nut bread, a really good black tea with cream and sugar like earl gray, english breakfast or a chai tea. and also a good coffee, with or without cream, but I have tried one called raging "betch" that I found to be disgusting...however Kona Delight was yummy.

I am perfectly okay with steeping as long as it could possibly take as long as I also have ready-to-vape juices available.

I will probably start off by ordering some nic and pg/vg as well as a few small starter/sample kits from various vendors...LorAnn, TFA, etc.

 

[Moogle]

Thank you all for your help!

My main reasons for asking were this:

The stated differences in quality of nics and flavors has confused me, and I was looking for a little guidance.

I have seen many of the places to buy different items from, and have been price shopping LOTS!!! But, after hearing that some places have "better" nic than others...it changed how easy it was to just price shop.

I started vaping at 18mg, and have gotten to 12, when I get my RBA finally setup, I plan on dropping to 6mg.

My favorite flavors are all over the place, I like just about everything that doesn't taste chemically, I do not even mind "artificial" as long as it is not a bad chemical taste. For example, an artificial watermelon is not necessarily bad to me, but if it tastes perfumey or chemically, that is bad.

My favorite flavors I have had so far are Doc Bailey's Kaktus Kooler, Highbrow Dark chocolate mint, Roar Hawaii Wai, Vapor Chef Coolcumber Melon, unknown brand Vanilla Bean decadence and unknown brand purple haze, a nice cinnamon with some grape-ish flavors lingering...it leaves your mouth feeling wet and juicy!

I also like many simple fruits, simple sweets, and any minty-fresh vape.

I have not yet had the opportunity to explore very complex juices or anything...but I am VERY interested in a good RY4, some cinnamon raisin bread, banana nut bread, a really good black tea with cream and sugar like earl gray, english breakfast or a chai tea. and also a good coffee, with or without cream, but I have tried one called raging "betch" that I found to be disgusting...however Kona Delight was yummy.

I am perfectly okay with steeping as long as it could possibly take as long as I also have ready-to-vape juices available.

I will probably start off by ordering some nic and pg/vg as well as a few small starter/sample kits from various vendors...LorAnn, TFA, etc.

TFA is a great place to start. Their 4 ml vial are only 1.50$. Their Earl Grey is spot on and I like the Hibiscus too. The other teas not so much. I'm not really that into bakery flavors so I can't help there.

 

[Andrew Freeman]

TFA is a great place to start. Their 4 ml vial are only 1.50$. Their Earl Grey is spot on and I like the Hibiscus too. The other teas not so much. I'm not really that into bakery flavors so I can't help there.

That is great to hear...

I have been hunting for a great tea flavor!! Especially once I tried my friends chai tea, I am unsure if it was because I dropped and lost my only vape setup I had on me at the time, and thus went all day without vaping, or that is was just that good, but honestly...that flavor was absolutely AMAZING!

 

[Andrew Freeman]

What are most of the flavor bases? Mainly PG, VG or Alcohol?

What base do you prefer using for your nic? I read PG is easier to work with since the nic thickens the base, and VG plus nic is pretty hard to work with, but I was thinking, for determining final PG/VG, it may be easier to use VG nic if the flavors are PG based, no?

Thoughts?

 

[DrBeaker]

What are most of the flavor bases? Mainly PG, VG or Alcohol?

What base do you prefer using for your nic? I read PG is easier to work with since the nic thickens the base, and VG plus nic is pretty hard to work with, but I was thinking, for determining final PG/VG, it may be easier to use VG nic if the flavors are PG based, no?

Thoughts?

I like to shoot for a 50/50 PG/VG. Yes vg is thick but you can warm it in the microwave or use syringes to make your mesurements. A scale is more accurate but complicates things.

 

[dannyv45]

My favorite flavors are all over the place, I like just about everything that doesn't taste chemically, I do not even mind "artificial" as long as it is not a bad chemical taste. For example, an artificial watermelon is not necessarily bad to me, but if it tastes perfumey or chemically, that is bad.

My favorite flavors I have had so far are Doc Bailey's Kaktus Kooler, Highbrow Dark chocolate mint, Roar Hawaii Wai, Vapor Chef Coolcumber Melon, unknown brand Vanilla Bean decadence and unknown brand purple haze, a nice cinnamon with some grape-ish flavors lingering...it leaves your mouth feeling wet and juicy!

Stay away from TFA (The flavorers apprentice) if perfumey/chemical taste is a problem for you. Those flavorings are notorious for that and are the hardest to get right and require very long steeping time. The best bet is to go with the hangsen flavors as I mentioned previously and leave the TFA flavors alone until you've got some experience working with flavors.

As far as which flavors taste the best again only you can determine what is good for you as every ones taste is different. But some good advice I can give you is to NOT try to clone a venders retail juice until you've gained some experience. This can lead to much fustration and can take the enjoyment out of DYI. I've seen more people give up on DYI for that very reason. All you need to ask yourself is "does it taste good". If it does you did a good job. And never say "This don't taste like what I used to buy" Because later down the road after you've been doing this a while you'll be saying "This taste better then anything I've ever bought".

 

[dannyv45]

What are most of the flavor bases? Mainly PG, VG or Alcohol?

What base do you prefer using for your nic? I read PG is easier to work with since the nic thickens the base, and VG plus nic is pretty hard to work with, but I was thinking, for determining final PG/VG, it may be easier to use VG nic if the flavors are PG based, no?

Thoughts?

Most flavors are PG based. The super concentrates such as vaping zone's SC flavors are alcohol based. There are a few flavors in VG but those are few and far in between.

It's not the NIC per say that thickens the mix it's the carrier you buy it in (PG/VG). As far as nic base I prefer a 50PG/VG50/18mg NIC base but you should start off with what ever base your currently vaping. The thickness of the base depends on the amount of VG you use so you must consider what base your going to mix (75/25, 50/50, 25/75 etc...) If your going to lean towards the higher PG base buy your nic in PG. If your going to vape a higher VG base then buy your nic in VG. If it's 50/50 it don't really matter but I sometimes tend to lean towards a higher PG mix so I use NIC in PG.

Please do your self a favor and read my blogs before getting started. They will clear a lot of things up for you.
Just click the number "4" where it says "blog entries" to the left just under my avatar.

 

[Andrew Freeman]

Is there any difference, flavor wise, between using, for example 6ml of 100mg vs 25ml of 24mg in 100ml recipe to make 6mg/ml juice? Or does all of the flavor come down to the final mg/ml ratio, no matter how much nic base you use?