Better Quality Ingredients?

[mcclintock]

I'm new to vaping and am trying to find a source of e-liquids that have better quality ingredients if that is even a thing? I've been to several local vape shops and have been pretty disappointed in what I've tried. Out of 20+ juices I've only really liked about 2 as far as flavor and even those I think could be improved on. For example I've tried about 4-5 different strawberry variants and some taste fake, another had a weak flavor, another just didn't taste right.... A lot of them just kind of taste the same, something sweet and creamy but the flavor gets blurred. Does the quality of what goes into the juice translate into better or more authentic taste/flavor? I would rather pay a premium and enjoy a better product. The problem is there are hundreds of companies out there and knowing where to start is frustrating. Any suggestions on a few places to try?

2 out of 20 is actually pretty good. The better ones may seem weak to you. When the flavor is in your face, every imperfection glares. A lot of the more pleasant flavors are a mix, avoiding too much of any one thing, concentrating on balance.

There is a need to be picky about hardware too, to really get a revealing flavor. When trying juices in a store if they even still have a testing setup, you can't judge them very well it's just to decide what to buy and try in your own setup.

I don't know too many manufacturers. I did like Uncle Junk's (in stores) and Nicoticket (mailorder) for stronger flavored liquids. Goodejuice for NETs and few others (try Congo Craze). There are more now and almost every line has some gems. Even store brand, but if they have a full line it's just more to sift through. Many of the best makers only put out a small number of flavors that made it to the top.

 

[stols001]

It's a bit subjective, I'm afraid. But most of the ECF vendors (and even some others) are trustworthy and have good products. Sometimes price can be a determinate, although I am personally fond of Nic River's nicsalts, they aren't cheap. I went through a couple cheaper options when finishing stockpiling my nic but I was happy with the nic that arrived.

Flavors are entirely subjective (and to make it fun, each manufacturer uses a different "strength" so to speak. You can look at reviews on particular flavors, or consider following a pre made recipe (and some flavors can be harder to find than others) but how it will taste to you is going to depend on a variety of issues, including the state of your tastebuds (I flavor low, compared to commercial liquids, these days).

If something is USP grade and a known (decent) vendor though, you can trust their offerings, although some nic may be harsher than other nic, so if you are sensitive to 'harsh" nic, that might be something to pay attention to in your research.

Best of luck,

Anna

 

[Marc411]

I'll just add Good life vapor to the mix. Their Deady Sin as well as Nicotickets Virus were two liquids that helped me dump smokes. Both have a tobacco blend to them but it's subtle. Good life has a pretty deep selection, great customer service and was my go to before I started DIY.

Good Life Vapor

 

[rob33]

There were too many uncontrollable variables in buying premade juice for me. Not to mention that for the price of 2 bottles of premium store bought you can be in control of your own.

 

[Ralfie-2913]

I will also put my .02 in for DIY. I am still pretty new at it and making the expected mistakes, but even with those not-so-great batches thrown in I have gotten a few really good batches that would rival anything I’ve bought at any price. High quality ingredients aren’t expensive, and even if my mixing skills don’t advance past where they are now, I am much better off. My local vape shop makes some great flavors, but then they also make a few that don’t sit well with my palette at all. There is a huge DIY community and a bunch of tried and true recipes to get you started. Like most others who have responded, I will echo the fact that like cooking it is very subjective. With a little practice and patience you will have a few of your favorites with higher quality ingredients for a lot less money.

 

[DaveP]

DIY changed my vaping life. PG, VG, Nicotine, and flavors are all the supplies you need. You can mix by weight using a scale (my preferred method) or you can use syringes and beakers to mix by volume. A good recipe calculator can make it all easy by providing the weights and liquid measures for your recipe.

 

[stols001]

For me, too, DIY changed my vaping experience for the better in so many ways. Now that I am fully stocked up (for my needs at my age) with nicotine, it changes vaping even more. I am pretty stocked up on flavorings, too, but I must say, there is a limit (IMO, although I'm not exactly sure what it is) to how much one can stock up on flavors. They will eventually go bad, so I've stocked up flavorings for a fairly long time, but I don't plan on buying more at the moment.

Stocking up was expensive and hurt my wallet quite a bit, but I'm glad I did it, and that I now have spare money at the end of the month.

Just determined not to let anyone take away my ability to DIY, and well, if flavors get banned, that flavoring can be obtained outside of vape shops, although it may require some conversion. But, I have the time and ingredients to not need to worry until the axe has fallen and I can assess the damage.

I am pretty resourceful when I need to be. Except nicotine which I really don't want to have to learn to grow, and then convert to base.

For me, it's been one of my favorite aspects of vaping; you can be certain I will not be giving up DIY without a fight. And, compared to store bought, so much less expensive.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Anna

 

[PeterVaper]

A new vaper just coming off cigarettes typically needs strong/full flavors due to smoke damaged taste buds. Natural strawberry flavor is a delicate flavor and tough to make it real strong unless it is the fake candy type.

I totally agree with you...

 

[go_player]

Though it has been said already I’ll chime in as a fan of team DIY. Unless you _really_ dislike DIY in general (and note that while I grew up on a farm working on tractors, worked in building a bit as a kid, and am theoretically fairly handy, I rent, mostly because I don’t want to even have to mow my own lawn, and even I DIY,) it’s a no-brainer when it comes to juice, IMHO.

In my experience cheap juice tends to use such dirty nic that I don’t want to vape it, so if I’m going to buy commercial juice I’m stuck paying $20.00 a bottle for juice I might hate. OTOH, while I have some DIY flavors I hate, and will never use (looking at you, TPA butter,) they generally cost me a dollar or two each.

And while it takes a bit of experimentation to dial in DIY, it’s just a bit. Once you’ve done that you can make the juice you want, using premium nic, for pennies on the dollar compared to premium commercial juice.

People rave about certain commercial juices- generally, on the I frequent occasion I taste them I say “meh.” My juice is just as good, and more importantly it is how I like it.

I’m about to start the laborious process of making some huevos rancheros for an afternoon lunch, and I feel the same way about that. But juice is a lot easier to make- gotta pressure cook some beans, fry them up, make ranchero sauce, pressure cook some red rice (after the beans, probably while frying them,) mix up some masa harina dough and make tortillas from it.... might be easier to just go out for a late brunch. But it wouldn’t be as good.

But juice? I could make months worth in the time it takes me to make a full plate of huevos rancheros (or preferably huevos divorciados, though that means another step... I do love salsa verde though.)