Economic Vaper

[six]

My tips for cost reduction:

Buy quality equipment and quality batteries. Once you settle in to what works for you, be satisfied with it... and enjoy being satisfied with it. Not replacing equipment or grabbing for every new gadget will save you a fortune.

juice costs? You can go a step further and go unflavored. And, just by the way: Unflavored does not equal no flavor. Try it for a few days, you might just discover you like it. I used to spend ~65 per month on juice. I currently use what I'm nearly certain is the most expensive 100% VG base on the market and it runs me about $11 or so per month. ---

Never need anything: Seriously. If you are well supplied, you never are in a hurry to get something or forced to pay too much because you are in need... ---> Including my battery replacement schedule and my kanthal and cotton use, my total costs are well under 15 bucks a month now. And, I'm always way ahead on supplies. My next scheduled battery replacement will be (probably) 3 18650s by around next May and the next time I'll be thinking about buying any juice will probably be August or Sept... I have enough cotton for maybe 9 years and the thirty bucks worth of kanthal I have in stock will likely not run out before I die of old age.

 

[alicewonderland]

I mix everything at 10mg and use 100mg nicotine.

thats where DIY starts to get sketchy, nicotine poisoning is a real thing and i found out firsthand. used to order 60mg concentrated nicotine juice, couple of spills later, you're laying in bed with unbearable stomache cramps, feeling sick and thinking about going to the ER. If you try to save -too- much and buy the concentrated stuff to cut lower, you risk the habit of nicotine poisoning if not handled properly. I remember reading a thread of a guy who used to keep his 100mg nicotine in the fridge, when one night he woke up from sleep in the dark, went to the fridge for a drink, opened a container thinking it was milk, and poured some nicotine in his mouth. he spat it out as soon as he figured out what it was but only had enough time to rush to his front lawn and yell for someone to call 911 before he passed out and went into a coma.

it really is less complicated than most people are putting. Just buy some Unflavored Nicotine base (you can get it in full PG, full VG, or a mix) The nicotine is already mixed with the VG/PG so you dont need to buy more VG/PG to cut it if you buy lower mg.

Pour some nicotine base into a bottle, put a few drops of flavor then try to vape it, if you need more flavoring just add some more drops to the bottle and try again. You can mix and match different flavoring drops also and experiment. I personally order lower mg Nicotine base due to the fact that I dont want that extra hazard of killing myself with nicotine poisoning if something goes wrong. You also pay more for higher mg nicotine, then have to further cut it with non nicotine pg/vg to be able to vape. I had a friend who ordered 60mg and then tried to vape that before he even cut it, and boy that didnt work well. Just be safe with whatever you decide to do, DIY with high levels of Nicotine can be extremely hazardous.

 

[HauntedMyst]

thats where DIY starts to get sketchy, nicotine poisoning is a real thing and i found out firsthand. used to order 60mg concentrated nicotine juice, couple of spills later, you're laying in bed with unbearable stomache cramps, feeling sick and thinking about going to the ER. If you try to save -too- much and buy the concentrated stuff to cut lower, you risk the habit of nicotine poisoning if not handled properly.

I wouldn't say its sketchy but it does have it's risks - risks that are easy to manage with common sense. Proper handling is important in any endeavor. Mixing without gloves, goggles and a cover shirt is irresponsible. I mix standing up working on a platform in the basement so any spills go down the table and I can hose myself off in by the utility tub. If you have the space, mix in the bathroom where there is a shower in case of a spill.

 

[Wolfenstark]

Into rebuilding now and coils have gone from say $12-15 for 5 to $15 for 100. Just a rough estimate.

 

[InTheShade]

I wouldn't say its sketchy but it does have it's risks - risks that are easy to manage with common sense. Proper handling is important in any endeavor. Mixing without gloves, goggles and a cover shirt is irresponsible. I mix standing up working on a platform in the basement so any spills go down the table and I can hose myself off in by the utility tub. If you have the space, mix in the bathroom where there is a shower in case of a spill.

Agreed. Even 100mg/ml nicotine carries less risk than many household cleaners most of us have under our sinks.

Gloves, eye protection and a long sleeved shirt - simple protections. Keep out of the reach of pets and tiny hands, and keep in it's original container where possible so people can see what it is.

Forgot to add that I read that story too a while back. The man in question had 5X the strength we currently use stored in his fridge. If I had that strength nic, I would have it in a locked metal cabinet and break out the hazmat suit if I wanted to work with it.

 

[alicewonderland]

well from personal experience, ive spilled around 5ml on my fingers of the 60mg stuff, and it gave me stomach cramps all night long. ive also sucked in on a leaky clearomizer a few ml's of ~30mg into my mouth and have had the same stomach pains and cramps. This was before I knew how serious nicotine poisoning could be, didnt know that much years ago when i first started. Of course if you take precautionary measures it can be safer, I'm moreso stating the fact that dealing with higher concentrations of this stuff adds that risk. Personally I am more one for convenience, and instead of gloving up, mixing near bathtubs and such, I went the way of ordering lower nicotine content liquid to mix, so it is easier for me. I can just mix it on the go, or mix my 10ml for the day on my desk in the morning and if clumsily get another spill, the danger factor is greatly reduced. I don't do huge batches of eliquids and just mix on a daily basis, so its more convenient and safer for me.

 

[InTheShade]

well from personal experience, ive spilled around 5ml on my fingers of the 60mg stuff, and it gave me stomach cramps all night long. ive also sucked in on a leaky clearomizer a few ml's of ~30mg into my mouth and have had the same stomach pains and cramps. This was before I knew how serious nicotine poisoning could be, didnt know that much years ago when i first started. Of course if you take precautionary measures it can be safer, I'm moreso stating the fact that dealing with higher concentrations of this stuff adds that risk. Personally I am more one for convenience, and instead of gloving up, mixing near bathtubs and such, I went the way of ordering lower nicotine content liquid to mix, so it is easier for me. I can just mix it on the go, or mix my 10ml for the day on my desk in the morning and if clumsily get another spill, the danger factor is greatly reduced. I don't do huge batches of eliquids and just mix on a daily basis, so its more convenient and safer for me.

Whatever works for you is the best way right? Not trying to say you are wrong at all. You are right to say concentrated nic base can be hazardous and caution should be used.

One of the main reasons I switched to 100mg/ml is simple economics.

It's down to $50 for a liter, which is just $14 more expensive than the 36mg/ml from the same supplier and I can make 2.5X more e-liquid. So for me the slightly elevated risk is worth it to bring the cost down even further.

There is no right or wrong way here, we just use different ways to get to the same place and save a good few dollars on the way. It's all good.

Forgot to add, if anyone is interested, MFS has their $50 / liter offer back for 100mg.

 

[Johnnie Price]

well from personal experience, ive spilled around 5ml on my fingers of the 60mg stuff, and it gave me stomach cramps all night long. ive also sucked in on a leaky clearomizer a few ml's of ~30mg into my mouth and have had the same stomach pains and cramps. This was before I knew how serious nicotine poisoning could be, didnt know that much years ago when i first started. Of course if you take precautionary measures it can be safer, I'm moreso stating the fact that dealing with higher concentrations of this stuff adds that risk. Personally I am more one for convenience, and instead of gloving up, mixing near bathtubs and such, I went the way of ordering lower nicotine content liquid to mix, so it is easier for me. I can just mix it on the go, or mix my 10ml for the day on my desk in the morning and if clumsily get another spill, the danger factor is greatly reduced. I don't do huge batches of eliquids and just mix on a daily basis, so its more convenient and safer for me.

30 mg gives you cramps? Huh.

I vape 36 mg and have spilled it or wiped it up several times. Even sucked some in through a faulty clearo and licked it off my hands a time or two when I was busy or out of the house.

I've vaped 48 and 56 too. Liked it better, but I'm too lazy to mix my own so I settle for the 36.

 

[440BB]

I think mixing is pretty safe, as long as you wear gloves with higher concentration nic bases in a well ventilated area. If a person is concerned about contact with the base, they can always start with 24mg or 36mg nic base, which increases the final cost a bit but in return gives them peace of mind.

If you come up with a primary all day vape recipe you enjoy, it only takes about 15 minutes to mix up a big batch (600ml for me) that can last a couple months, clean everything up and go back to blissful vaping.

 

[alicewonderland]

30 mg gives you cramps? Huh.

I vape 36 mg and have spilled it or wiped it up several times. Even sucked some in through a faulty clearo and licked it off my hands a time or two when I was busy or out of the house.

I've vaped 48 and 56 too. Liked it better, but I'm too lazy to mix my own so I settle for the 36.

yeah, the 30mg i sucked in through my clearomizer gave me bad cramps, i think it was about 2ml of juice. maybe my body is more affected by nicotine i dont know, throughout the night it was like a terrible constant stinging feeling in my lower stomach, that wouldnt go away and would have gone to the ER if it had gotten any worse or didnt subside through the morning. That's just my personal experience with it and the safety precautions I have taken with nicotine. I just stay away from the higher stuff now, and im dropping down to the 3mg/6mg's as well so I dont need to keep much high nicotine base around, 250ml's will now last me about 5-6 months.

 

[93gc40]

Cost of Smoking is why I started vaping. Yeah after 35 years of making Marlboro profitable, is the why I wanted to quit smoking. Health has nothing to do with it, pure dollars and cents. At $6 per pack X 2 per day, adds up. So far as I can see, if one can avoid buying every. pretty, new vaping toy, that comes on the market, vaping is way cheaper than smoking. Store bought coils and juice is more expensive than DIY, neither approaches $6-12 per day. Don't really get Sub Ohm either, I have no desire or need to suck that hard, to get enjoyment and satisfaction from vaping. For the exact same reason I hated those stupid big tall water pipes, from in the day. Just want to take a few puffs to get my NIC fix, relax, and yeah save a few dollars. Decent flavor is a bonus.

 

[MattyTny]

New hardware can be thought of in terms of variable costs. Assuming you vape similarly every month we can associate liquid with a fixed cost. The variable component is different for everyone, some take vaping more seriously into hobby territory and spend more on hardware. Building supplies cost next to nothing compared to everything else. The biggest cost seems to be liquid as agreed by most people. Depending on your budget, you might want that fixed cost as low as possible.

I like my expensive liquids as much as the next person, but it's not practical. MFS offers great mixing options at a cheap price. I tend to like velvet cloud vapor's unflavored. I recently received a 500ml bottle of 6mg for $30 shipped from a Black Friday sale. Great value, works great in my RTA since they use distiller water to thin it out a bit. I don't care how much I use because it's very cheap compared to flavored stuff. I still have some of my flavors, I mix them with unflavored when dripping, few drops of unflavored, few drops of flavored.

Costs are only half the battle, the next is convenience and the ease of use. I found this out when I vapes clearos on an ego. Rebuilding pro tank coils are a pain in the .... and only work so well. Decided to get a small dripper, saw the light of building on a real deck, got a better battery and a KFL+. Now my costs are low, my vape hardware is decent, and I have the assurance that what I build will work.

 

[cope]

after a hefty investment on gear..almost 2 years ago my cost to vape every month is @ $10.00
diy ect..... no fancy fancy it just works and im lovin it
lets see.. saved 3350 spent 850 in 2 years....2500 in my pocket saved not smokin