Thanks. 500ml of 24 mg PG and 500 ml of vg is just over $33 and the mixture of 70/30 pg/vg will yield about 16.8 mg nic @500 ml if my math is correct. thanks for the help.
Cost/benefit diy
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The little bottles of flavoring (TFA) at Wizard Labs are 8 ml. Some flavors need up to 20% but others are 1%. What flavors do you want to start with? Also, you should be able to get Vegetable Glycerine in a 6-8 oz bottle at your local Walmart for about $4. Tractor Supply carries PG (Propylene Glycol) in gallon jugs for about $20. A veterinary supply place may also carry it. You probably have vanilla flavoring in your cupboard now. I had vanilla, raspberry, strawberry & almond for baking and adding to microbrews.
You can use many of the flavorings in the bakery aisle at your grocery store. Watkins, McCormick, Durkee, Adams and others are available in my area. Just double check the ingredients to make sure other stuff wasn't added--colors, preservatives, can't pronounce it stuff. They will probably cost more than the $1.89 little vials from Wizard labs but they are much larger. Hobby Lobby & Joann's carry some of the LorAnn flavors. Then all you need is the nicotine solution. If you're only testing flavors, you don't even need the nicotine.
You can use many of the flavorings in the bakery aisle at your grocery store. Watkins, McCormick, Durkee, Adams and others are available in my area. Just double check the ingredients to make sure other stuff wasn't added--colors, preservatives, can't pronounce it stuff. They will probably cost more than the $1.89 little vials from Wizard labs but they are much larger. Hobby Lobby & Joann's carry some of the LorAnn flavors. Then all you need is the nicotine solution. If you're only testing flavors, you don't even need the nicotine.
Download a good calculator eJuice Me Up - Best eJuice Calculator and play around with it. Make sure that ALL of your settings are correct (nicotine strength, nicotine target) before hitting the calculate button. (I once made 100ml using 100% PG nic base. Realized too late that the calculator was set to 50/50 base. OOPS
Since your are vaping mostly PG, I'd get 100% PG nicotine base.
Also, how much flavoring you're going to use will determine the minimum mg nic base you will need. Play around with the calculator and you will see what I mean.
Good luck, have fun and don't worry about making mistakes. That's part of the learning process. For ANYTHING!
Just tell the wife:
"Look, the vape shops sell liquid they make up at a profit. They go in the back room, pour stuff in a bottle, shake it, and charge you 10 times their cost. I can buy the ingredients online and we and mix it ourselves. May or may not taste as good. But it's A LOT cheaper."
I think I'm under 10 cents per ml. IDK. Been a while since I did the math. And I pay more per ml due to shipping costs than the guys that order in large quantities. Still, I have a year's worth or so of nic base in the freezer.
Also, tell her "What if the FDA bans internet sales? Time to stock up."
"Look, the vape shops sell liquid they make up at a profit. They go in the back room, pour stuff in a bottle, shake it, and charge you 10 times their cost. I can buy the ingredients online and we and mix it ourselves. May or may not taste as good. But it's A LOT cheaper."
I think I'm under 10 cents per ml. IDK. Been a while since I did the math. And I pay more per ml due to shipping costs than the guys that order in large quantities. Still, I have a year's worth or so of nic base in the freezer.
Also, tell her "What if the FDA bans internet sales? Time to stock up."
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I was just toying around on Wizard labs site to see what stuff would cost. If I were to order all the measuring equip, bottles, flavors, pg, vg, nic base from them it came to about $65 that was with 120ml of vg and 120ml of pg nic base. I am skeptical about getting anything from walmart, just because of their bottom dollar suppliers. Its the same as getting cheap juice from a vendor that uses cheap suppliers, the juice usually isn't as good as it could be. Rather get the base liquids from reputable source.
try this place to start out --> Flavorless Nicotine Liquid & Supplies for Wholesale & DIY e Liquid
I honestly didn't pay all that much attention to cost when I started to DIY... Not that I went insane or anything, but just got what I thought I needed (a few diff size syringes, a graduated cylinder (which I hardly ever use), some nic, smallish bottles of pg/vg, and used my old 10ml juice bottles... Got a few flavors that popped up in a couple of recipes that caught my eye... And that was about it... The ability to make what I want when I want it far outweighs whatever the minimal startup cost was IMO...
Where I see a variance is with the price of flavorings. PG/VG and nic base expenses seem to be pretty consistent. Nic base is the most expensive ingredient, so finished nicotine strength of the e-liquid should be what has the largest effect on the final cost of DiY e-liquid.
However I see a lot of vendors selling larger quantities of "flavorings" which are diluted down with PG or VG for exorbitant prices. This can really change what a ml of DiY liquid can cost.
Strangely enough, I've bought my flavorings from a local tobacco shop ($3 for a 5ml bottle of concentrate), and mix one drop/ml of e-liquid.
100mg Nic base ran about $10/100ml last time I bought it, but that was at least a year ago.
PG & VG were $20/gal
So for the next 10 year I figure I will be vaping for about 4.5-5c/ml.
However I see a lot of vendors selling larger quantities of "flavorings" which are diluted down with PG or VG for exorbitant prices. This can really change what a ml of DiY liquid can cost.
Strangely enough, I've bought my flavorings from a local tobacco shop ($3 for a 5ml bottle of concentrate), and mix one drop/ml of e-liquid.
100mg Nic base ran about $10/100ml last time I bought it, but that was at least a year ago.
PG & VG were $20/gal
So for the next 10 year I figure I will be vaping for about 4.5-5c/ml.
You can easily just pick up a 100ml pg/vg mix at your desired strength and toss in some premixed aromes, and that should work out to $1 per 10ml, from there on price just goes down down down with scale, minus equipment. Unless of course that price/quantity range is fine with you
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Not a truer statement was ever said.
I have over 120 flavors and can open up the computer, open my "E juice me up" calculator and make just about anything I want to.
That is my goal. I have 20 flavors so far. At a buck 50 a piece, shouldn't take long. I love the freedom of, hey, I am halfway through my 30mil bottle of my favorite flavor. I need to go to my kitchen and whip up a new batch real quick.
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A trick. I mix 2 bottles so one steeps while the other is vaped. From there I can mix a new one when I take the last steeped one.
I have a question...If I get the unflavored nic juice at 12 and mix it half and half with a 80 pg 20 vg blend and put in my flavor will I wind up with 6 mg nic?
If the 2nd 1/2 included the flavor, then yes.
So X volume of base, X volume of cut including enough flavor for 2X of juice.
Make sense?
If you cut it in 1/2 and after that add more cut solution in the form of flavoring, you'd have less than 6 mg nic in the end.
I pour 1/2 bottle of base, add flavoring for the whole bottle, and top it off with cut.
However, you have to also take into account the amount of PG and VG you want to end up with. If your cut is 80/20 and your base is 80/20 and you use very little flavoring you'll be close to 80/20 in the end. But otherwise, you have to think about it or use a calculator to figure it out.
My DIY juice costs anywhere from .05-.07 USD per ml, depending on flavorings. I spent a lot to get started but that actually isn't necessary - all you really need is nic-base, pg/vg, flavoring, some bottles (I like the 30 and 50mm ones from Wizard Labs) and a couple syringes to measure with . .I recommend a 20ml, a 5ml and a 1ml (for flavors).
Just my experience but, although I DIY 100% of my juice and have been doing so for around 8 months now . .I have made very few good juices. Probably I just don't work hard enough at it but, really, 99% of my flavored juices have been vape-able but pretty "meh". There is a recipes in the DIY section called "R Why 4" that is my favorite - really good, actually. The rest of my efforts have been mostly wierd, perfumy-tasting, tastes like Necco wafers, etc, etc.
I actually vape unflavored at least 90% of the time these days. It tastes really good, the recipe is easy, it's cheap and it makes my atties last a really, really long time. The other week, though, I got bored and decided to mix up a berry lemonade . . it was pretty "meh" but I vaped it . .and then went back to my unflavored.
BTW - I have been experimenting with different nic bases in unflavored juice and I got to say Xtreme Vaping nic base is the tastiest nic base in the land (even though it ups my cost a bit)!
Just my experience but, although I DIY 100% of my juice and have been doing so for around 8 months now . .I have made very few good juices. Probably I just don't work hard enough at it but, really, 99% of my flavored juices have been vape-able but pretty "meh". There is a recipes in the DIY section called "R Why 4" that is my favorite - really good, actually. The rest of my efforts have been mostly wierd, perfumy-tasting, tastes like Necco wafers, etc, etc.
I actually vape unflavored at least 90% of the time these days. It tastes really good, the recipe is easy, it's cheap and it makes my atties last a really, really long time. The other week, though, I got bored and decided to mix up a berry lemonade . . it was pretty "meh" but I vaped it . .and then went back to my unflavored.
BTW - I have been experimenting with different nic bases in unflavored juice and I got to say Xtreme Vaping nic base is the tastiest nic base in the land (even though it ups my cost a bit)!
15mg nic @ 60PG/40VG @ 12% flav = $.042 per ml
My main variable$ are which flavoring manufacturer I use and flav %.
I do not calculate equipment/hardware costs since that drops each time I pick up a syringe/etc and reuse bottles.
And yes, I look for $ales and buy in bulk when possible.
My main variable$ are which flavoring manufacturer I use and flav %.
I do not calculate equipment/hardware costs since that drops each time I pick up a syringe/etc and reuse bottles.
And yes, I look for $ales and buy in bulk when possible.
I do it simply. Way to complicated with starter equipment and full blown setups. The difference .000001 ml flavoring has to me is negligible. 250ml 12 mg base 50/50 14 bucks. 10 10ml Flavorart flavoring 5 bucks each or 50 bucks. Use old bottle from liquid vendors.
250 ml for 64 bucks. I use the drop method because I don't want to fool with measuring.
Sure beats 15-20 for 30 ml. 64bucks/250ml = .256 per ml. I used probably 4 more 250ml bottles on those 10 flavorings. 125bucks/1250ml = .10. 10cents per ml is good for me. The ability to mix as needed and adjust flavoring on the fly is much better.
So for the wife.. I did this for mine.
I used 18 bucks as an average for 30ml from a liquid shop. 18bucks/30ml = .60 per ml..... vs .256 from above. that didn't work so I then did
250ml*.6 = 150 bucks.. vs 64 bucks. She then nodded. Needless to say I had already ordered it
Oh I also keep a running spreadsheet of all my vape costs vs what I would have paid for smokes. After October and 700 bucks savings in the first year + she stopped with how much are you spending nonsense.
I also tend to vape unflavored.
250 ml for 64 bucks. I use the drop method because I don't want to fool with measuring.
Sure beats 15-20 for 30 ml. 64bucks/250ml = .256 per ml. I used probably 4 more 250ml bottles on those 10 flavorings. 125bucks/1250ml = .10. 10cents per ml is good for me. The ability to mix as needed and adjust flavoring on the fly is much better.
So for the wife.. I did this for mine.
I used 18 bucks as an average for 30ml from a liquid shop. 18bucks/30ml = .60 per ml..... vs .256 from above. that didn't work so I then did
250ml*.6 = 150 bucks.. vs 64 bucks. She then nodded. Needless to say I had already ordered it
Oh I also keep a running spreadsheet of all my vape costs vs what I would have paid for smokes. After October and 700 bucks savings in the first year + she stopped with how much are you spending nonsense.
I also tend to vape unflavored.
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One thing I did when first gettign ready to DIY is save y old juice bottles from purchased juice. I just cleaned them well and got the labels off them.
TIp:I use painters tape to label my DIY. I can write on it easily and it peels off with none of the gunky sticky stuff of normal labels.
TIp:I use painters tape to label my DIY. I can write on it easily and it peels off with none of the gunky sticky stuff of normal labels.
Years ago when I calculated my DIY cost I didn't need exact figures just reasonable estimates. There's too many variables because of different amounts of flavoring needed for different mixes along with different cost for different flavors not to mention how long equipment will last vs needing to be replaced and different cost of NIC and amounts of nic used. I figured taking all this into consideration my cost to DIY was about 5 cents per ML or $1.50 for a 30 ml bottle.
The vendor juices I preferred all cost about $13 per 30 ml bottle and at the time I was vaping about 4 ml per day so for a 30 day supply it was costing me about $52 a month for juice. Was a no brainer for me to figure out that spending $150 on DIY supplies to get started wouldn't take long to recoup my cost. Since my first purchases 3 years ago I've added as needed to my DIY supplies along with making sure I had plenty of nic in my freezer should the FDA make that difficult to obtain.
I haven't purchased any DIY supplies since last March and likely won't purchase anything until at least March when a few flavoring will need replenishing. By March it will be 2 years since I've purchased any PG or VG so I'll likely purchase some new even though I still won't have run out of either.
The vendor juices I preferred all cost about $13 per 30 ml bottle and at the time I was vaping about 4 ml per day so for a 30 day supply it was costing me about $52 a month for juice. Was a no brainer for me to figure out that spending $150 on DIY supplies to get started wouldn't take long to recoup my cost.
Since my first purchases 3 years ago I've added as needed to my DIY supplies along with making sure I had plenty of nic in my freezer should the FDA make that difficult to obtain. I haven't purchased any DIY supplies since last March and likely won't purchase anything until at least March when a few flavoring will need replenishing. By March it will be 2 years since I've purchased any PG or VG so I'll likely purchase some new even though I still won't have run out of either.
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