DIY Vs. Priemum

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dannyv45

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I've made mixes that run circles around some of the premium juices sold. And other mixes I've made I prefer far more to the commercial juices I used to vape. It just takes experimentation.

From your join date I'm assuming you've only been at it 2 months, I'm sure in 6 months you'll be thinking the same way so just keep at it.
 
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trouble1000

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I've got 4 or 5 DIY juices that I think are totally amazing. But it's taken me about a year to get them to the point their at now, constantly tweeking and refining them. I've probably mixed up dozens of different mixes that I thought would be winners, but ended up lining the drains :ohmy:

There's no secret ingredient, just a hell of a lot of trial and error. I know, not much help :laugh:
 

Mr.Mann

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This may seem like a snide comment, but it's not: put a fancy label on the DIY juice and see what you think then.

Generally speaking, a vendor is mostly just a good DIYer with an infrastructure. There are of course vendors that use ingredients that others may not have access to, but by in large, vendors are using the exact same flavorings.

Some tips (some of which are necessities, others are optional):

Use good VG.

Use good nic.

Use good measuring tools.

Use pre-dilutions to add flavorings at such a low percentages that they add to the mix without being vocal enough to be recognizable.

Take risks with your flavors. Sometimes ingredients that may not seem like they would fit in a recipe will be *that* element that makes it not just DIY, but seemingly "premium.".

Take extensive notes.

Don't only take large jumps in your tweaking of percentages. A little change in a +/- can make a world of a difference.
 
Use pre-dilutions to add flavorings at such a low percentages that they add to the mix without being vocal enough to be recognizable.

I think that one is easy to overlook, but quite valuable. I have one flavoring that is OK at 3% as a standalone, but if I take that 3% juice and add a few drops to some of my mixes, it makes them pop a lot more.
 

Mr.Mann

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I think that one is easy to overlook, but quite valuable. I have one flavoring that is OK at 3% as a standalone, but if I take that 3% juice and add a few drops to some of my mixes, it makes them pop a lot more.

Many people would never believe that a couple drops -- under 1% of a 3% dilution -- will do anything. Ha! It very much can. I think some people get caught up in the flavor chase (adding more and more), when often times it's really about doing things on the peripheries of that flavor.
 

Raztax

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Many people would never believe that a couple drops -- under 1% of a 3% dilution -- will do anything. Ha! It very much can. I think some people get caught up in the flavor chase (adding more and more), when often times it's really about doing things on the peripheries of that flavor.
My wife compares it to baking, where some ingredients, even in very small amounts make a world of difference.
 

jpasint

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so i have some recipes that taste good but dont really have the punch that the store bought ones have
like when i hit Hoops its says pow flavor deep and suculant and when i hit my diy thats close to the flavors i taste in hoops its more of a mild flavor hit
what do the big companies do that im not doing

Why not just make a few of the tried and true recipes from right here in the forums?
No need to be all creative in the beginning.

If some of the good recipes from here still don't taste good then perhaps something is wrong with your ingredients or your process cause I know they are good from making some myself.

Steeping can be a huge factor so read up a bit on that if you haven't already.

Dannyv45 has some great blogs that could potentially help you a lot.
 
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dannyv45

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Many people would never believe that a couple drops -- under 1% of a 3% dilution -- will do anything. Ha! It very much can. I think some people get caught up in the flavor chase (adding more and more), when often times it's really about doing things on the peripheries of that flavor.

I've often found that out with many flavorings and additives. I've learned through experience to start a percent or more lower then the recommended percentage. And in may cases I had to cut that recommended percentage by half to get a decent vape.
 

Chrissi

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Vendors don't do anything special & i know this for a fact. The "Premium" just comes in the quality of the ingredients which just equates to what it costs that vendor to purchase the ingredients. The higher the price tag, the word "Premium" gets thrown in to the mix. For example a vendor i know purchases 5 Gallons of PG60/VG40 @ 36mg Nicotine for just under 3k from Germany which is quite expensive for wholesale (Premium) & then cuts it down accordingly. The flavors are also very expensive from Italy (Premium). In turn all his liquids are labeled as Premium (I wont mention names because i've had & using much better blends - SORRY if you see this buddy). What makes a vendor different from each other IMO when it comes to REAL premium juices is when special methods are used & time has been taken to produce a unique product like Five Pawns Castle Reserve - it SOUNDS good that the juice was aged in an oak barrel or when special filtration methods are used. All in all don't get sucked into the hype! I've had Liquids that tasted superb for a fraction of the price a "Premium" blend would have cost. End of the day its PG, VG, Flavoring, Distilled Water/or Alcohol & some companies (Mainly Chinese) use Linalool & other chemicals i can't even pronounce never mind spell. If you can't be bothered to DIY just find a good, clean, trusted & reputable vendor that isn't taking advantage of their customers by overpricing - again, i know exactly what i'm talking about here but believe what you will. To be honest i laugh a little when i see liquid reviews on YT because its all the same ingredients & most are all the same ratios that get reviewed.. & the point is there's only a certain amount of suppliers that vendors actually purchase their flavorings from! i could mention 5 of the top but not sure if it's against forum policy... Whatever keeps you off the analogs & whatever you're happy vaping is all that matters anyway :vapor:
 
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