Diy kit what to buy when just starting out

[Katdavar]

I am ready to take the plunge here into diy juice, most of the prebuilt kit I have found look like junk and extra bs. So I ask all the experts what do you use, what are the tools and extra bits that you reach for the most. What suppliers do you recomend. I have the flavoring covered but pretty much everything else has me a bit baffeled. I dont want to send money on things I dont need and miss some that I do. Any and all help here would be greatly apperciated.

 

[Firefly13]

When i started out i bought some 36mg nic, pg, vg, and a syringe from good prophets, then a couple of graduated cylinders with some flavorings from One Stop Diy shop.

Counting drops never got me anywhere, once i measured the stuff out properly in cylinders i was on a roll and have been ever since lol.

 

[wizard10000]

Everybody's opinion here is gonna be different, so I'll share mine - take what you like and leave the rest

Syringes - a couple each 1cc, , 3cc, 5 or 6cc and 20cc. I paint over the graduations on the syringes with clear fingernail polish so the joose doesn't wipe out the markings. Also 14 gauge needles for VG and I use 18 gauge for flavoring. You can use the 18 gauge for PG as well. You can get all but the 1cc syringes at your local Tractor Supply store if it's legal to buy syringes without a prescription in your state.

Bottles - I have a bunch of them but I really only needed a handful of 6ml plastic bottles - I have four 30ml glass bottles I use to hold flavorings I extract myself and I recycle 50ml plastic bottles to hold my all-day vape. 6ml bottles are great for making 5ml test batches as there's a little bit of room in there if you need to add more flavoring.

If you want to save money you can get a gallon of USP PG from your local Tractor Supply store for about $22 - I don't use PG but I do buy my VG from the local health food store for about $9 for a 16oz bottle.

I use a 500ml plastic graduated flask to hold hot water to clean syringes while I'm working but you could do the same with a big bowl or a two-cup measuring cup. The measuring cup is also nice for nuking a couple cups of water to quick-steep jooses you make.

You'll need nic base, of course. I'm pretty happy with Wizard Labs for nic but there are others that are just as good.

 

[tidegirl]

Flavorings, Nic, Pg, and VG, obviously. Choose your nic based on what you usually vape. If you vape high PG, get PG based, etc. I usually do 70/30 PG/VG so I get my base in PG.

Something to measure. Syringes and needles are the must have IMO. Preferably in various sizes. 3 and 5 ml are good. I wouldn't mind a 10 ml for large batches, but I can live without it. I really want a 1 ml for small measures, but the 3 ml has 0.1 increments, so it works well too. You can add other stuff too, but you don't have to. I have pipettes and I like them, but most people don't. I don't see a need for graduated cylinders, but some like them. Droppers have their place for some things too, but again, are not necessary. Grab some syringes, and you can add other things to play with and test out in the future.

Bottles. A variety of sizes are good, but a limited range can be good too. I have a few 30 ml bottles from purchased juice, but I usually limit 30 ml batches to tried and true all day vapes. 10-15 ml are my favorite size. 6 ml are OK, but I usually use these just to pour from a larger bottle to carry with me, and not very often. When I go to work my whole collection usually goes with me. I consider 3 ml bottles worthless, since I can vape 3 mls in a few hours. When I do small test batches I just use a larger bottle. Then when I get the recipe right I can just finish filling the same bottle.

That is all that I consider mandatory. As your collection grows you will decide what your favorites are and what you can't live without.

ETA: Forgot the vendor recs. I have limited experience, but:

My first order was from onestopdiyshop. I got one of the kits cause even though I didn't think I would need everything in the kit, I thought it was easier to get started that way. I was happy with my order, but their selection is limited (like only small bottles of nic) so I chose not to order from them when I needed more.

Capellas- Great flavors, easy to use for those of us new to DIY. More expensive than other flavorings, but worth it for the better flavor, and still way cheaper than buying juice.

myfreedomsmokes.com- Good prices, good selection, quality products. This will be my go to supplier.

 

[stashbldr]

I started DIY one year ago and never bought a kit. As far as hardware is concerned, all you really need are a few different size syringes ( 1 ml, 3 ml, 5 ml, 10-20 ml). For the juice itself you need VG, PG, nic and flavoring. I had always saved my empty juice bottles, so I just used those for my DIY mixes. Best tip I learned is when you're making a new juice for the first time, always make just a very small amount, just big enough to test it.

 

[Iffy]

Some good info HERE.

 

[Beatnik]

I just recently got into DIY myself (just about 1 month ago) after about a month or so of reading / research. This is what I ended up with and how useful I have found it so far.

Syringes:
2) 1cc - very useful
2) 5cc - very useful
2) 20cc - very useful
4) 14ga LuerLok Blunt - very useful (VG is a lot thicker than I thought)
4) 18gq LuerLok Blunt - very useful

Bottles:
15) 6ml plastic - nice for mixing samples (probably don't need 15 but I like to experiment a lot)
5) 30ml plastic - still only using 2 for mixes I vape regularly
5) 1oz amber glass - must have for nic storage if you buy larger qty

Misc:
5) plastic pipettes - havn't used them yet (don't forsee using them)
1) 100ml graduated glass beaker - used it a couple times (can see usefulness for mixing larger batches)
10) Nitrile Gloves - good safety precaution

So far I havn't felt like I am missing anything or wish I had something. Of course I have only been at this for about a month and I may find something else I need / want down the road. But for starters I cant really see needing anything more than this.