Okay, I don't think I can stand not having a pipette pump any longer. I want to order while the anniversary sale is on (now that new flavors I want are available!!) but I'm torn between the large pump and the small one - and how many pipettes should I get??
I need help from y'all who've been using a pump, please! I've been getting so frustrated.... how did you decide what pump/pipettes to order, and did you later wish you'd ordered differently?
I figure at minimum, I need one pipette for nic base (I use 50-50 so I think there's plenty of PG already) - one for VG - and several more for various flavorings? And maybe one for water/vodka (which I currently store in a glass vial with traditional glass dropper). I typically mix at least 2-4 bottles at a time because then you have to wash everything and let it air dry before putting it all away. And then I can't seem resist mixing "just one or two more" while I'm at it
- so I like dedicate one measuring
device for each ingredient.
I mix right into the bottles, because measuring cups are too big (and more to wash). First I measure the nic base for all, then the VG, but I'd like to start making tiny batches of three-four flavor experiments. Or make variations to compare (Rum, plus or minus Butter, or Cream, you know how it is). So I'm thinking maybe 10 pipettes?
I've mostly been using 3 ml syringes because of the small increment markings, but sucking VG into a syringe with an 18 gauge needle takes forever, plus I always seem to get air in the syringe so forget about accuracy, it's impossible. And the needle doesn't reach the liquid when the bottle is no longer full, so I have to tip the bottle with one hand, then I only have only one more hand to hold the syringe AND pull the plunger back (I keep the bottle seal in place to minimize spills, using needles to poke holes but then the paper seal rips so easily as I wrestle to keep suction going for 2.5 ml when I'm doing a 6 ml bottle).
I've got teeny unmarked plastic pipettes I have to use for my LorAnn's bottles because they don't have dropper tips like the PA flavorings. So the drop size of my flavorings differ... then sometimes I forget how much thinner the flavorings are after working so hard to measure the VG, and whoops, too many drops of flavoring shoot out. I got hand cramps trying to count drops of VG, it's so thick. So I think I really need a consistent measuring device like a pump, to use for everything. Is it faster than syringes with needles?
Yesterday I wanted to verify how many drops of flavor compare to a milliliter by using a syringe as the measuring device, again because of the small increment markings. But the thin liquid dripped right out of the needle while I was counting drops, DUH!
I spent almost
three hours yesterday making only
four 6 ml bottles of recipes I've already figured out! (I had to start by cutting some 48 base down to 36 because I have recipes using both strengths, I'm math-challenged and those drops/ml/% calculators can get confusing. I haven't found a good calculator yet that really helps me figure out everything, but that's another story.)
Seems like a pump would solve a lot of my issues, instead of my current mish-mosh. I've got pretty good manual dexterity but when it comes to measuring for mixes, I feel all thumbs!
How do drops translate in terms of 1/50 of a ml? That seems a very fine increment, but 1/10 of a ml is probably too big for tiny mixes such as 1 ml experiments. Some calculators say 20 drops = 1 ml, others say 22, others say 30, others use %. If you adjust a flavor by one drop, how can I tell what that means percentage-wise? Sigh.
It seems like the smaller pump would be better for small mixes. I figure I could just fill a small pipette twice if I was mixing 6 ml and needed larger quantities. So far I've only made 6 ml a few times, when I come up with something good. I crave variety and I still have several unmixed straight flavors (I need more bottles!) not to mention all the combinations I want to try out.
Surely I'm not the only person fumbling through this process, so I want to ask the pump-using DIYers on the forum (then others can learn from my questions too). I hope this is a good thread to ask on.
Will a pipette pump make my mixing life better/faster and solve these problems? I have this feeling it'll be just the trick, but maybe it's my methodology... I'm feeling overwhelmed by too much equipment that's not quite right, and there's never enough space in a New York apartment, so I really don't want to get both sizes. I can't figure out which one would be better for me to start with, or if other mixers have evolved a more satisfactory process by using one of these revolutionary-sounding pumps.
I REALLY need advice! I bet I'm not the only one... Thanks so much for any guidance!
