DIY is pretty cheap to do if you know what you want to make, have the right recipes, catch things on sale or pick up moderate bulk (for instance, I just bought 250 ml of 60 mg nic, $39 including S&H). A lot of people just don't have the time/interest to do it, it's something you either find pleasant to do or tend to really dislike.
It doesn't take all that much space. All of my flavorings/nic liquid/labeler/etc. fit in one 3-draw plastic storage bin, with empty bottles in a box. All my mixing is done using a small plastic tray, about 15"x20", and I clean everything immediately after mixing.
I do most things in moderate bulk, 60 ml at a time. VanTob takes under 15 minutes total, from first pulling out the tray to everything cleaned and put away. Larger quantities are easy since then I can just work with 15ml graduated plastic beakers, it takes less time than pipettes. Since I use 60 mg nic, I need 1 ml of the nic liquid for each mg desired in the final 60 ml -- again, makes it simple.
My liquid and carto "operating cost", vaping 6 ml/day and a new carto every 3 - 4 days (and I actually do reuse cartos, this is if I used all new) is about $1.20. Even budgeting $25/month towards new/replacement hardware (pretty generous, once you have stuff that works well), I'm likely closer to $2/day total rather than $2.50 (where I was earlier), for a healthy amount of vaping.
That said, I fully support KBV, SouthernAmbrosia, BWB, etc. -- reasonable prices for high quality eliquid, and most people don't have that time/interest/knack for DIY.
It doesn't take all that much space. All of my flavorings/nic liquid/labeler/etc. fit in one 3-draw plastic storage bin, with empty bottles in a box. All my mixing is done using a small plastic tray, about 15"x20", and I clean everything immediately after mixing.
I do most things in moderate bulk, 60 ml at a time. VanTob takes under 15 minutes total, from first pulling out the tray to everything cleaned and put away. Larger quantities are easy since then I can just work with 15ml graduated plastic beakers, it takes less time than pipettes. Since I use 60 mg nic, I need 1 ml of the nic liquid for each mg desired in the final 60 ml -- again, makes it simple.
My liquid and carto "operating cost", vaping 6 ml/day and a new carto every 3 - 4 days (and I actually do reuse cartos, this is if I used all new) is about $1.20. Even budgeting $25/month towards new/replacement hardware (pretty generous, once you have stuff that works well), I'm likely closer to $2/day total rather than $2.50 (where I was earlier), for a healthy amount of vaping.
That said, I fully support KBV, SouthernAmbrosia, BWB, etc. -- reasonable prices for high quality eliquid, and most people don't have that time/interest/knack for DIY.
Last edited:
