PG or VG liquid base?

[aprilprescan]

Hello,
I recently had a vendor describe the differences of the PG and the VG base, and although the PG base sounds like it would be a better throat hit, the lady I spoke to mentioned that some people can be highly allergic to it. Is this common? VG seems a bit safer and less toxic...In your opinions, what is the better choice, PG or VG?

Thanks!

 

[Kewtsquirrel]

Most all liquids are going to have some VG in them, a pure PG liquid actually has a decreased throat hit over a mix and the vapor dissipates very rapidly, the glycerin is what produces the lingering cloud of fog.
I personally mix my own liquid using a research-grade pure nic+pg base, about 20% flavor and then glycerin to cut it down from ~75mg/ml to whatever target concentration I'm looking for. If I omit the glycerin, it turns into a 'stealth' vape where there is almost no visible vapor on exhale.
A great ejuice calculator can be found here:
eJuice Recipe Calculator

Edit: On the toxicity, PG is actually safer, VG can produce a toxic chemical if combusted at high enough temperatures, although the chances of your ecig getting it that hot are quite rare.

 

[Kent C]

Hello,
I recently had a vendor describe the differences of the PG and the VG base, and although the PG base sounds like it would be a better throat hit, the lady I spoke to mentioned that some people can be highly allergic to it. Is this common? VG seems a bit safer and less toxic...In your opinions, what is the better choice, PG or VG?

Thanks!

First, it's not a matter of 'less toxic'. Neither are toxic and without getting into the whole safety pages for them, PG is used in hospitals to combat germs. Both PG and VG are used in many food stuffs for human consumption.

A small percentage of people are allergic to PG and it seems that an even smaller percentage of people are allergic to VG. And the symptoms of the allergy can vary widely. Search 'allergy' on the forum's search function for more specifics.

I have also read that PG gives a better throat hit but since throat hit is the effect of heat and nicotine mostly, and to flavoring on a lesser basis, I don't think that consideration is enough to determine the choice between PG and VG.

Pure VG is more viscous than pure PG, so VG is almost always diluted with PGA (pure grain alcohol) or deionized or distilled water for mixing. And when this is done properly (usually around an 80:20 ratio), there is no adverse affect on atomizers, something that is commonly and wrongly stated.

VG produces more vapor than PG. It is said that PG hold flavors better but I personally haven't found that to be the case.

While, if any animal would happen to get into a nicotine based liquid, they could affected severely but cats are especially affected by PG and not by VG in the pure form. Dogs are not similarly affected. There is PG and VG in many dog foods and only VG in cat foods.

Other than if one would happen to be allergic, I see no, or little difference between using PG or VG other than the vapor factor, and many people will mix the two in order to get more vapor from a PG based juice.