Cheaper?

[Vicshalls]

I guess maybe in the long run diy will be cheaper, but right now I am not seeing it. Lol got my first order in and I kept it small. All the base stuff and enough flavors to make two different recipes. Went well so made a second order the next week. Bumped up the amount of base stuff and added some more flavors to make a few more recipes. On the first round I made this one that I now just can't out down. I already vape way too much liquid in a day. Big reason why I finally broke down and started diy. I was going through 240ml of my adv in about a month and that was not counting the other flavors I used when I am at home. I have already mixed all I can of this new flavor and already need to place another order to replace most of the flavors. Ugh I had promised my wife I would not buy a single vape related item until after the new year. Not sure how this is gonna go. Lol so did not expect to make a liquid that I would fall in love with this quickly.

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[bussdriver]

Buy flavors in larger bottles.
Buy VG/PG in gallon size.
Buy nic by the liter, 100 mg.
Cut down on flavor percentages. It's the highest cost item.

Cost? Under 10 cents per ml.

 

[DaveP]

I buy flavors the first time in small 10ml bottles. If I like it I buy buy next time in 30ml bottles. If it becomes a daily vape I buy a little larger.

PG and VG I buy in Liter sizes. The same with nic, except most of mine will be transferred to 8oz bottles and frozen.

Once you've purchased the nic, scales, bottles, and some flavors you've spent the lion's share of money. After that, it's replenishment of whatever gets used up.

 

[Eskie]

Buy flavors in larger bottles.
Buy VG/PG in gallon size.
Buy nic by the liter, 100 mg.
Cut down on flavor percentages. It's the highest cost item.

Cost? Under 10 cents per ml.

Just for yuks I did a quick calculation (rough numbers here). With 1L of 100 mg nic for ~$50, 10% flavoring, 70/30 VG (and I buy it in the smaller bottles from Amazon, so I'm overpaying, but it's easier for me), 100 ml of a 10 mg juice will cost me $1.51, or $0.015 per ml.

 

[SteveS45]

Initially my DIY start up costs was averaging about 5 cents an ML but I just did a quick calculation and my cost is now under 3 cents an ML. I was pretty surprised when I just did the math! Woo Hoo!

 

[jambi]

Initial start-up cost makes it appear more expensive at first. After you figure out what flavors you use a lot of and can therefore buy in larger quantities, your cost per ml will drop considerably. You can keep costs lower initially by starting out buying your VG/PG in gallons.

The biggest thing that will drive your costs up are the little 10ml bottles of flavoring, but it's sometimes impractical to buy larger quantities that you can't reasonably expect to use before they expire. Sure, I can buy 4oz bottles of CAP VC1, but I'm kind of stuck with my little 10ml bottle of FA Bergamot, since I use so little of it. More expensive brands like Flavorah and Medicine Flower will drive up your cost per ml as well. My Orange Brule Custard is my most expensive recipe to make and only uses 8.5% flavoring, because the INW ingredients are so expensive (why the heck is INW Creme Brule $4.49 for 10 ml??)

Generally, I average from .50 cents to $1.02 per 30 ml, depending on flavorings and ratios used. To me that's really cheap. I don't buy flavorings based on price. If it's something I want to use, I'll buy it (within reason, Medicine Flower is too rich for my blood).

If you're really interested in tracking your cost per ml, use Juice Calculator. Just enter in your cost for materials and it tells you everything...

 

[OlderNDirt]

It's all in the "creative accounting." If you take your full initial cost of EVERYTHING and calculate for a 30, 60, 120, or 240 ml mix.....yes it is expensive. The more you mix, the cheaper that calculation becomes. I figure my mixing cost at around $.50 to $1 per 30ml bottle that saves me around $18 per 30ml bottle. About seven 30ml bottles and I've reached my break even point. After that it is yippie skippy time having juice at under $1 per 30ml bottle! Happy mixing!

 

[dannyv45]

If I figure in everything I need to vape (Hardware, supplies, NIC,VG,PG flavors etc...). I't cost me a small fortune because I can't stop buying stuff

But all kidding aside I'm about average at $1.00 - $1.50 per 30ml. Compare that to what I used to spend on stinkies I'm way ahead of the game. And the most important thing to consider is your quality of life now that your living a healthier life style.

You just can't put a price on that.

 

[jpasint]

If I figure in everything I need to vape (Hardware, supplies, NIC,VG,PG flavors etc...). I't cost me a small fortune because I can't stop buying stuff

But all kidding aside I'm about average at $1.00 - $1.50 per 30ml. Compare that to what I used to spend on stinkies I'm way ahead of the game. And the most important thing to consider is your quality of life now that your living a healthier life style.

You just can't put a price on that.

I'm with you on the buying stuff Danny!

Although I'm pretty much done now.
If I had stayed a smoker, I would have spent at least $10,000 over the last 3 years.
I've spent a bit more on vaping and mixing gear but like I said, I have pretty much all that I need now.

I can literally vape more than a year for what it used to cost for cigarettes for one month. Of course I only use RBA's though.
And the quality of life, what a game changer as you said!
Thank God for the peeps that invented e-cigs.

 

[happy valley]

• The curse of a RYO smoker, which I have been for 20+ years, is the cost is not a factor like tailor made cigs. Even today RYO costs me $1.25 a pack (good tobacco, filter, paper). Just like vaping, one learns suppliers and purchase in bulk. Combustion is the problem.

 

[SteveS45]

Except for bottles to dispense and store e-Liquids my Liquid Barn Starter Kit has provided everything I ever needed for DIY except of course more Bases, nicotine and flavors once I went through the first 1,400 ML's. I guess I could average in the glass dropper bottles but I would have to do it for every time I reuse them indefinitely.

 

[ceeceeisme]

lol... I'm embarrassed to admit I've been DIYing for about 5 weeks now and I've spent over $600 (but that's Canadian bucks, about $450 US I guess).

BUT - I have 96 flavors (most are 30ml, some are 60ml, and a handful are 10ml), a half liter of nic in the freezer, a new scale, over 50 glass bottles and another 50 plastic, 40 measuring syringes (back up if the scale goes down) and.... oh I'm sure there's more, that's just off the top of my head.

 

[tazzle]

I guess I'm kind of a low-level shopaholic, because I like getting small things in the mail, so I realize that there's pretty much always something that I'm going to be spending relatively small sums on. I was into perfume oils (made by others, and making myself), jewelry making (think more "handmade glass beads" than "expensive precious stones") and then for a while I was updating all the cookery / kitchen stuff ... and etc. If it weren't vape mail, I'd be getting special teas, or spices, or art project stuff. Always something. But something small and fun.

But before, I was spending money on cigarettes and on little MailFunBombs, and now I'm satiating my shopping lust (it's not so much the BUYING as in "spending," it's the HUNTING, and the ANTICIPATION, and the OOOH TREATS IN THE MAIL LIFE IS WORTH LIVING YESSS) with vape stuff, so once I calculate money saved from no longer buying cigs plus money no longer spent on other little baubles, I'm still coming out way ahead.

That's my story, and I'm sticking with it.

 

[OlderNDirt]

One other consideration:

I got into DIY in preparation for when (not if in my mind, but when) states start taxing juice that may increase the price as much as double or more. The savings then will go though the roof. In the meantime, I am happily picking up some store bought I really like and playing around with DIY for a few flavors good enough to add to my daily vape repertoire.

 

[SupplyDaddy]

I mix 250ml and 500ml batches for flavors I like, 120ml bottles for 1st time flavors using 6.7% flavor. Comes out to about 8ml flavor for the 120 ml bottle, which I can get from Wizardlabs for $1.50 + shipping. A 3 VG 1 PG cube from Essential Depots is about $50 for 4 gallons (15 liters or 125 each 120ml bottles) of 25/75 PG/VG mixables. 1 Litter of 100mg nic is about $50.

All told, 1 ml of juice for me is about $0.017, or $2.03 for a 120ml bottle of eliquid, if I use the expensive 8ml bottles of flavors.... My 120ml bottles themselves cost about a buck each. $3.25 ish for 120ml's of eliquid.
Verses about $1.66 per ml for a commercial 30ml bottle (about $18)...

So, yea.. I'm saving money!

 

[ceeceeisme]

Well I figure I am saving money too - I was buying expensive premium juice (I was dabbling with Chinese juice but even they have premium stuff and it was better). I have enough supplies here to last me quite some time now. AND, buying DIY supplies kept me preoccupied from buying more mods, tanks, RDA's and whatnot to go with them. My Fasttech cart is ready to hit the fire button on tomorrow then I am done with everything for a while - Christmas is coming after all.

 

[tazzle]

Winter Is Coming!

 

[Eskie]

I'd say my one mistake with DIY at the start was the typical one of buying flavors without knowing how I would actually use them. So I do have a little storage bucket with assorted, once used but never again flavors. Once I got my act together and figured out a few recipes I liked, and could use for an ADV, it became far more cost effective.

 

[Vicshalls]

lol... I'm embarrassed to admit I've been DIYing for about 5 weeks now and I've spent over $600 (but that's Canadian bucks, about $450 US I guess).

BUT - I have 96 flavors (most are 30ml, some are 60ml, and a handful are 10ml), a half liter of nic in the freezer, a new scale, over 50 glass bottles and another 50 plastic, 40 measuring syringes (back up if the scale goes down) and.... oh I'm sure there's more, that's just off the top of my head.

Well I have to admit it has not been that bad. I am at about 150. I think maybe another good 100 order should do me and then I will just be doing maintenance. Especially since I found that one good one already. All the flavors for it but one come in 4oz bottles so that is going to be a hefty purchase. I would like to get gallon jugs of vg/pg but the shipping cost on those seems high so I will probably end up getting smaller bottles so I can keep getting the free shipping. Kicking myself for telling the wife no more til after the first though. Lol

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[Vicshalls]

I'd say my one mistake with DIY at the start was the typical one of buying flavors without knowing how I would actually use them. So I do have a little storage bucket with assorted, once used but never again flavors. Once I got my act together and figured out a few recipes I liked, and could use for an ADV, it became far more cost effective.

I did try to learn from others and I found receipts first that sounded good and got the flavors to go with them. I did get the large bottle of vc right off the bat since almost everything I looked at had that one flavor in it. One recipe I did I am not so wild about. But I will keep making it til those flavors are gone. Waste not want not. Or how ever that saying goes. At least I had been holding on to old bottles from my purchased liquids. Have a good amount. Wish there was some 60 ml in there though. Have tons of 15,30 and 120 size. So far all the recipes I have made have been pretty good. And my wife has liked what I made for her. So I think this will pay off in the end. Now just waiting on some to steep. That is killing me. Lol

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