Do you feel comfortable with dealers that mix their own eliquid?

[franki]

Being new to vaping, and needing to put in an order of juice soon, I was wondering what your comfort level is when you order from a site that states their mixes are their own. The first thing that comes to my mind is what do they put in it (are they being totally honest on the ingredients?), and is it safe to put into my body? Is home made mixes common with most retailers?

I steer away from anything that comes from China if at all possible (especially vigilant about food). So I'm focusing only on US liquids here.

If I'm sounding cynical and paranoid, I guess I will be until I get more vaping experience under my belt
Also, if anyone can recommend a dealer on the east coast that's quick to ship and a good liquid inventory selection, I'd appreciate the link.

Thanks

 

[Kazou]

Spinfuel looks at the manufacturing facilities of the vendors they review.
Spinfuel - An American Vaper Magazine

There is even an association that defines quality control around mixing up ejuice. But still at this time, you should research and understand where and how ejuice are mixed and control. AEMSA | American E-Liquid Manufacturing Standards Association

There is a lot of people (including me) that love Mt Baker Vapor (read the threads). Most are reporting that they get their orders all the way to the east coast (they are located in WA) in 3 days. From what I saw, they take their business seriously and have a great mixing facility.

 

[fish.on!]

do your research and order from a reputable business, youll be fine. east coast- backwoods brew. anywhere you order from will get to you pretty quick. I live in upstate NY and order from Mt Baker vapor and Tasty Vapor quite often, they are both on the west coast. from when I place my order to when its in the mailbox, 3 days, and it really doesn't matter because most of the made to order liquids need to steep for about a week anyway.

 

[Ryan1888]

I would never see a problem and in general it will be better tasting and quality juice.

 

[BostonVape]

Spinfuel looks at the manufacturing facilities of the vendors they review.
Spinfuel - An American Vaper Magazine

There is even an association that defines quality control around mixing up ejuice. But still at this time, you should research and understand where and how ejuice are mixed and control. AEMSA | American E-Liquid Manufacturing Standards Association

There is a lot of people (including me) that love Mt Baker Vapor (read the threads). Most are reporting that they get their orders all the way to the east coast (they are located in WA) in 3 days. From what I saw, they take their business seriously and have a great mixing facility.

the only problem I find with these 'juice review' sites/magazines is that they will give very good review scores to the sites that they sponsor..

for example, they gave MtBaker the best reviews on certain flavors that are not very good .. they also said they have the BEST quality juices which if you have gone through many other vendors, then you will know this is not 100% true.

 

[gthompson]

Most are reporting that they get their orders all the way to the east coast (they are located in WA) in 3 days.

That's actually the USPS that gets the orders across country in 3 days, not the vendor.

 

[ERK08]

When I started, I had some of the same concerns, I just did some research found several companies then I just sampled their liquids (small sample packs). Like you I steer away from anything in China. All juices I use are us pharma grade liquids.

good luck

 

[chargin]

Being in about the same area as you(OP) I would suggest not limiting yourself to just eastern vendors.
West coast to me was 3 days.
Texas to me sometimes 2 days.
Midwest to me sometimes 2 days.

 

[MayLovesMetal]

+1 what Chargin said.

The longest wait I've ever had for juice was from a well known vendor who is located right here in Pennsylvania..and conversely my orders from AltCig in Las Vegas have never taken more than 3 days to arrive, and usually are here in 2. I haven't found the location of any vendor in the country to be a significant issue in how fast orders arrive.

 

[Orobas]

I'm confused.

I think you have fundamentally missed the point, OP. The point from ordering someone who mixes their own juices.. is that they mix their juices. I mean. Where you expect them to come from? What site are you talking about?

I don't understand. This is like asking if you're comfortable eating at a restaurant that makes their own food, or asking if you're comfortable if a bar mixes their own drinks. That's how fundamentally you're misunderstanding the entire industry.

 

[jclifford]

remember that businesses mix their own juices to make a profit, and juices are highly profitable, some are labor intensive, but the margins are very high. These businesses make more money from their happy satisfied customers. It is normally in their best interest to use top quality materials and give you the finest product that they can deliver.

 

[cbfairbanks]

the only problem I find with these 'juice review' sites/magazines is that they will give very good review scores to the sites that they sponsor..

That is very true. A grain of salt is required when reading these reviews. The best thing to do is read the threads here. Most vendors either have their own thread that they have started, or someone else has started one and others keep expanding on it with their own reviews. Also, you have to always keep in mind that taste is subjective.

for example, they gave MtBaker the best reviews on certain flavors that are not very good .. they also said they have the BEST quality juices which if you have gone through many other vendors, then you will know this is not 100% true.

Again, keep in mind that taste is subjective. Be careful about slamming vendors in that way. I am personally a HUGE Mt Baker fan, but there is not a single vendor out there that has universal acceptance for all their flavors by the entire vaping community. It just doesn't happen. With that in mind, $7.49 for a 30ml bottle... you can't beat that price! Combine that with great customer service and incredibly fast shipping and you have a winner!

FYI- I am just a dude... not a reviewer/blogger, and I receive no compensation whatsoever from anyone at Mt Baker or any other vendor. These are just my unbiased opinions.

 

[cbfairbanks]

That's actually the USPS that gets the orders across country in 3 days, not the vendor.

Yes, but it takes longer if the vendor is not on top of things and doesn't fulfill your order for a few days.

 

[CandyTX]

Hmmmm... I dunno, I think I'd rather buy from a self-mixing place than a big manufacturer. I'm still a newbie, but I kind of look at it like I do food - I don't buy a lot of packaged stuff because they put so much crap in it - preservatives and stuff I cannot pronounce... I'd much rather some small/medium sized company that mixes it by hand do it. It just seems "healthier" or something - or at least a better quality. It's kind of like eggs... I buy eggs from someone that has chickens that doesn't come from a hormone-driven industry.

I dunno, that seems weird because I used to smoke analogs, but this was a step for a healthier me and my research into vaping was favorable. Yes, it's still chemicals, but... lesser of two evils.

Hubby has been vaping for a few years and he used to order from China and he said the vendors we're getting from now are superior in taste and quality (and it doesn't have that weird chemical smell that he had for a while there - it was weird).

I'm rambling, but I don't have a problem with small mix places. As long as I see several folks in forums/blogs that like them that don't seem to have an agenda, I don't care. I have an indie book review blog and people give me stuff all the time to review (plus we're part of the Amazon Vine program). Most reviewers don't give favorable reviews JUST because someone gave them something. Who cares? That person won't give you something later? Eh... big deal.

 

[Roots820]

the only problem I find with these 'juice review' sites/magazines is that they will give very good review scores to the sites that they sponsor..

for example, they gave MtBaker the best reviews on certain flavors that are not very good .. they also said they have the BEST quality juices which if you have gone through many other vendors, then you will know this is not 100% true.

I may have missed it, but I've never seen MtBaker advertised on Spinfuel. The statement may hold true for other vendors though.

 

[Baditude]

I only buy from custom-made juice vendors. If their juices were not among the best, they wouldn't be in business very long, now would they?

The "we sell everything e-cig related" websites likely do not custom make their juices, and the juices that they sell are likely not a large portion of their business. Selling juice is more of an afterthought for them, as they are more concerned about having enough juice delivery devices in stock to meet demand and carrying the latest mechanical gear. There juices are generally sub-par.

The last several months I've been ordering only from custom mixers that use all-natural, all-organic flavorings. These are generally very clean and accurate flavors, rarely if ever artificial or chemical tasting. My top three favorites:

Dripeez: https://natural-eliquid.com/store/index.php

Virgin Vapors: Organically Flavored E-liquid | Virgin Vapor | Electronic Cigarette Organic e-Liquid | Electronic Cigarettes

Vaperite: Organic Flavored Juices

 

[Mr.Mann]

That's actually the USPS that gets the orders across country in 3 days, not the vendor.

Totally! When the OP said "quick to ship," that is different from fast shipping. Some vendors are quick to ship, i.e., processing and order fulfillment, and others are not (for a myriad of reasons); the ultimate time in shipping speed is out of the vendors hands. Now, there are some vendors that ship via different speeds. e.g., standard, first class, priority, so that can reflect (a little) on a vendors side of shipping speed, but ultimately it still comes down to USPS, like GT already said.

 

[Caridwen]

I'm confused.

I think you have fundamentally missed the point, OP. The point from ordering someone who mixes their own juices.. is that they mix their juices. I mean. Where you expect them to come from? What site are you talking about?

I don't understand. This is like asking if you're comfortable eating at a restaurant that makes their own food, or asking if you're comfortable if a bar mixes their own drinks. That's how fundamentally you're misunderstanding the entire industry.

Lets keep in mind that this is someone new to vaping that's asking questions with valid concerns that we all had when we first started.

 

[EddardinWinter]

I would like to address something else. My experience with AEMSA/American E-Liquid Manufacturing Standards Association is that this organization is more interested in setting standards than enforcing them. I do not support this organization because my take on them is that they seek to impose regulations on participating members to prevent the FDA from doing so. As if the industry providing self regulation creates surety of fair treatment at the hands of the FDA.

I am not trying to slam AEMSA, but I would rather support CASAA who has a proven record of DEFENDING our rights, rather than AEMSA who wishes for us to surrender a few liberties for greater security. Perhaps I am wrong and getting off track, I do not mean to hijack the thread. My point is not to count on AEMSA to enforce standards of any kind. That is up to you in selecting a good vendor. ECF is a great tool to gather information to make good decisions about that!

 

[Deacon Aegis]

Being new to vaping, and needing to put in an order of juice soon, I was wondering what your comfort level is when you order from a site that states their mixes are their own. The first thing that comes to my mind is what do they put in it (are they being totally honest on the ingredients?), and is it safe to put into my body? Is home made mixes common with most retailers?

I steer away from anything that comes from China if at all possible (especially vigilant about food). So I'm focusing only on US liquids here.

If I'm sounding cynical and paranoid, I guess I will be until I get more vaping experience under my belt
Also, if anyone can recommend a dealer on the east coast that's quick to ship and a good liquid inventory selection, I'd appreciate the link.

Thanks

I have been to the Vaperite store, which maintains their mixing lab in the back of the store. I will say I was very impressed with exactly how clean and scientific it looked when I was able to catch a glance back into their back shop. The don't allow people back there except for their staff. I have no problems after seeing how clean their operation back there with buying from them.