Expensive vs Lower Price juice...

[MN_Mike]

I started vaping back in December. I started out on Hell's Vapors, which was 13 bucks for a 15mL bottle. I went to Halo, which were good, but absurdly expensive, tried Quick Nic, which was less expensive but the flavor was pretty mediocre. Recently I've been going to a local shop who's prices are far lower but taste better than the liquids I've bought in the past. I've been buying from Vista Vapors too and their prices are even lower. However, their flavors are awesome and they're still somewhat local. Is there any reason for the gigantic difference in price? Was I just suckered in by pretty bottles and cool names? Are the ingredients of the cheaper liquids lower quality? Is there some reason I'm not thinking of?

 

[cbrite]

I think some of it is that certain vendors have great reputations (deservedly) so charge more. They may also use more expensive ingredients (organic juices for example are expensive). I have juices from both high end folks (Velvet Cloud, Vapor Chef, Alice in Vapeland) as well as from much less expensive vendors like Killer juice. There are juices I like at both ends of the spectrum and if I find a juice I like a lot from a less expensive vendor, I tend not to try the same/similar one at the more expensive place. So I can't actually make a direct comparison.

 

[Stosh]

Your juice is simply PG - VG - nicotine and flavorings. What flavorings are used, and how good a "cook" the mixer is determines how good the juice will be. And a lot has to do with what you like, and how much your taste buds have recovered from smoking...

The ingredients are reasonably cheap, same as making a hamburger. Some of the juices come out as McDonalds, some are much better, same starting ingredients, different recipe. (and the fancy label has no effect on flavor...)

 

[HoseGarden]

and the fancy label has no effect on flavor

you obviously havent eaten enough labels

 

[Kahuna Cowboy]

Your juice is simply PG - VG - nicotine and flavorings. What flavorings are used, and how good a "cook" the mixer is determines how good the juice will be.

There is a little bit more than that. The quality of the flavorings, heck even pure extracts now too are being used by higher end eLiquid makers. Appropriate balance of amounts of flavorings, quality of the PG/NIC/VG, and yes, how good the "cook" is by balancing the flavors together can all play a part.

Because of all of this, if I order a bottle of simple vanilla eLiquid from one vendor, it can taste radically different from another vendor using the same exact brand of flavoring.

 

[regal55]

I find unfortunately that the higher the price the better the vape. I can't touch the cheap stuff.

 

[Rin13]

It depends on the vender and the person. I hated the 5 pawns I tried and it's one of the most expensive places out there. Then you have Alice in Vapeland, which is hit and miss. Some of their juices I love while others are not that great. (not bad, just not great) I will say that some of the cheap brands I find irritate me. (nauseous, headache, sore throat) I don't know if it's the base their using or what but it doesn't agree with me. (Seduce Juice is one... I also didn't/don't like Plume Room)

 

[GPC2012]

I would have to say that about 50% of it is in your head, if you buy expensive juice you expect it to be better, and because you paid more and want validation it is better to you. The mind is a powerful thing. I'd like to see a blind taste test with about 500 people and one common flavor. I think you would find the results much different than you expect. granted there are some rot gut juices out there, but that doesn't mean they are the cheap ones.

 

[lasttango]

Halo's not absurdly expensive... $19.99 for a 30ml bottle is higher... but there seems to be a lot of $22-$28 per 30ml bottles these days...

-though I do tend to hit up places like Halo when there is a sale... check the deals and steals thread for that....

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/pay-forward-pif/418767-deals-steals-164.html

This industry is growing up very fast - and there are an increasing number of charlatans that pass off nothing special in a fancy bottle...

but places like ecf are a good source for information ---> you have the ability to do research here and find out about a vendor before you buy...

at any rate... to more specifically address your question... yes and no.... some juices use more expensive ingredients... and they may be more unique or perform better etc... but ultimately it does come down to preference...

Companies like halo or ahlusion or highbrow or etc... put more research and development and effort into their juices than some companies that sell juices for the same price... Some companies just squirt flavorings into nic bases and fill fancy bottles and say "here... pay me $22 and vape this."

 

[jdrewry]

Considering how long a 30ml of liquid might last me, I don't get too concerned about prices--in the end, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than what I used to spend on analogs...

 

[lasttango]

I was just thinking... now that I have been vaping so long... it's kind of rare that I find something worth paying over $20 for 30mls...

I mean, I mostly vape menthol and I used the highest end nic and base I can find... Last night, I mixed 240mls of 18mg strength menthol... I put it in my own fancy bottle and gave it a snappy name too ;-) I call it: Geoff's nice juice... yeah, I'm Geoff. Cost me about $20 to make 240mls... that's high because I do use more expensive flavorings (a mix of three: two from decadent vapor and one from want2vape) and my nic and base come from a company out of England...

...I find e-liquid so unexciting... I just don't buy the hype that "exquistite" or "high-end" really exists...

So, when I do pay a lot - it's because I think a juice is unique... like... I do find Halo unique... their have a very unique base etc...

anyway, in the past week, I have shelled out about $30 a bottle on this stuff (this includes shipping) called HAN SAUCE... they have 2 juices... this one is the pear one.... 2Changz or something... I got it from elevated vaping which sells a lot of the fancy label California boutique juices at $22 + Shipping.

I have bought THREE OF THESE in the past 9+/- days....

This is EXPENSIVE... yikes... but I really really really really like it.... and that just rarely happens anymore...

The list of juices I would pay these HIGH prices for is quite short... but when I do, it's more because I am anticipating something unique... not necessarily better quality...

I find Mad Murdock's juices unique... I always try the new nicoticket... bwb, w2v, apocalypse, vapetrik, and a few others...