how to easily tell if a vendor makes good ejuice (general rule)

[Gauntlgrym]

so, i think i have figured out how to easily tell if an ejuice vendor makes good juice.
*please keep in mind this is a general rule. i understand that rules always have some exceptions*

so i have recently come to the end of my ejuice quest. i have tried almost 100 different vendors now, and have found an interesting trend in the juice i have tried.

after sampling all these juices, i have found that 9 of the 10 vendors i like offer no pg/vg adjustments, and 1 of the 10 only offers 3 different levels. only 70/30 50/50 and 30/70.

so i have come to the conclusion that most good ejuice makers stick to a recipe, and don't let you mess up their masterpiece.
see, changing the pg/vg of a juice will change the taste of it. so if a vendor has a rock solid recipe, then they do not let you adjust the pg/vg.
for example:
if you go into a 5 star steak restaurant and say "can i have some ketchup for the steak?" the waiter will laugh and say NO.

so, imho.....
stay away from vendors that allow you to adjust the pg/vg ratio. well, at least ones that allow you to completely adjust it...like 10 different lvls. i think it shows that the creator of the juice, doesn't really care about the end taste. if they just let you put it to any pg/vg lvl, and change the taste...... then that implies that they do not care about their own recipe.

simply put - good chefs don't let you change thier recipe.....neither do good ejuice makers. (in general, remember)

 

[1swtwrld]

So on that note what are your top picks?

 

[rabernet]

 

[Gauntlgrym]

So on that note what are your top picks?

Halo, the Steam co (reserve line), Nicoticket, Nitelite, Mad Murdock, Goodlife, Indigo, and Five Pawns.
the one vendor that i do like that offers 3 lvl of pg/vg is the Vapor Chef.

 

[dan1boy]

Dude, this is the most brilliant thread ever. I completely, emphatically agree with every point. Thanks.

To each their own, but I've never understood why people obsess about "flavor shots" and such. Makes no sense to me. Personally, I've gravitated over the past year much more toward top shelf, pre-steeped vendors utilizing their craftsmanship and artisan recipes. I'm done with taking chances on all these fly-by-night net businesses offering the "highest quality, USA made, premier, gourmet e-liquid." I've whittled those down to just a tiny handful that I implicitly trust to deliver consistency and taste using high quality ingredients.

 

[SeniorBoy]

 

[1swtwrld]

Well 4 on your list I have tried and I am not a fan of. They must do something to your taste buds that they surely didn't do to mine lol

 

[Mapultz]

I like the PG/VG ratio choices - many people have a sensitivity to one or the other. But I agree about the flavor shots. MBV was very stressful, trying to decide if/how many to get. I stuck with none, hated the juices I got. Wondered for a second if I should try flavor shots, then realized that I could end up buying 6+ bottles of the same liquid to find the amount of flavor I wanted, and still end up hating it. No thanks.

Vape Dudes offers choices, but not as many. They have "light", "standard", and "strong" flavor. I stick with standard and everything I've tried has been incredible. I also stick with their "standard" 50/50 PG/VG.

 

[Yohkos]

I disagree, if I order a steak, I can order it med rare, well done, etc. a good chef knows how to make the adjustments. Since I vape mostly vg, a good mixer knows how to adjust that too. I stay away from one way vendors, I find most of them boring and tasteless.

 

[vjc0628]

simply put - good chefs don't let you change thier recipe.....neither do good ejuice makers
stay away from vendors that allow you to adjust the pg/vg ratio. well, at least ones that allow you to completely adjust it...like 10 different lvls. i think it shows that the creator of the juice, doesn't really care about the end taste. if they just let you put it to any pg/vg lvl, and change the taste...... then that implies that they do not care about their own recipe.



????????

Really

honestly I do order from a few of the places that you mentioned
a couple from the steam co and 5 pawns are topps
and a few were not too impressive

but you cant in any way say that a company is subpar or does not care about their recipe if they allow you to adjust pg/vg
especially where there are many reasons for dif pg/vg settings
if you have sensitivity or based on the type of device you use

when I used mainly clero's It would work better with more pg now that I drip many times I prefer more vg

there are many great vendors allow you to adjust its up to you to learn how that will effect

my number 1 vendor Ahlusion allows adjustment
and there not another vendor I have found
that can create that quality of juice in ever area ie tea, tobacco, dissert ,fruit and others
and the owner takes great pride in the quality of his recipes

 

[Yohkos]

I've learned something from Five Pawns -- Just because something cost more, doesn't make it better.

 

[Gauntlgrym]

but you cant in any way say that a company is subpar or does not care about their recipe if they allow you to adjust pg/vg

as i stated, this is a general rule. i'm not saying "ALL ejuice companies are subpar that offer vg/pg ratios."
i'm saying more often than not...they are subpar. at least from the 100 or so i have tried.

especially where there are many reasons for dif pg/vg settings
if you have sensitivity or based on the type of device you use
when I used mainly clero's It would work better with more pg now that I drip many times I prefer more vg

you always have options. if you are sensitive to PG, then you can just order from a vendor that only does 100% vg.....like ave or velvet cloud.

there are many great vendors allow you to adjust its up to you to learn how that will effect

agreed!
in fact, i even said that one of my favs allows you to adjust pg/vg.
as i stated b4...."in general"...."general rule of thumb." this means there ARE exceptions.
i thought i made this clear in my original post, but i guess the 3 times i said it was a "general rule" was not clear enough.

my number 1 vendor Ahlusion allows adjustment
and there not another vendor I have found
that can create that quality of juice in ever area ie tea, tobacco, dissert ,fruit and others
and the owner takes great pride in the quality of his recipes

ahlusion isn't bad. they are one of the exceptions.
however i feel that for every exception, there are 20 other vendors out there that are not an exception.
more often than not, if a vendor allows you to adjust the pg/vg....the quality is subpar.
maybe only like 10-20% of vendors that allow you to adjust pg/vg are good quality to me. where as 50-60% of vendors that do not let you adjust are good quality.

 

[SharonMM]

Well any juice you buy, whether you can adapt the pg/vg or not, is only 10-20% flavorings, or the recipe. The rest is filler liquid (pg/vg) and only minimally affects the flavor.

The vendors that don't allow adaptations do so because they are selling their liquids out of one huge batch. I don't necessarily think that makes them better, but I'm glad you are finding good luck using your methodology.

 

[rabernet]

ahlusion isn't bad. they are one of the exceptions.
however i feel that for every exception, there are 20 other vendors out there that are not an exception.
more often than not, if a vendor allows you to adjust the pg/vg....the quality is subpar.
maybe only like 10-20% of vendors that allow you to adjust pg/vg are good quality to me. where as 50-60% of vendors that do not let you adjust are good quality.

This is all just your opinion though, of course. We all have different criteria for what makes a great juice vendor for ourselves. I don't care at all for MBV, while others absolutely love their juices and have ADV's from them.

I also find Ahlusion to be MY vendor of choice, and measure all juices to their level of craftsmanship.

 

[vaperature]

I have to agree to a point. I got a free sample from a certain vendor that ended up being so good I vaped it all day for a week until it was gone. The sample claimed to be 80pg/20vg with no flavor shots but I knew that wasn't true at all. It was really thick and had so much flavor it was out of this world. So ordered another bottle but the vendor has a million options. I tried 65pg/35vg with 2 extra flavor shots and guess what, it arrived watery and weak in the flavor. I have no idea what combination is going to reproduce whatever was in that free sample and wish the vendor would just sell it the way it was in the free sample because that was perfect. I think if you know that much about pg/vg/flavor ratios to order a specific mix through a vendor then why not just DIY? What I expect from a vendor is a perfect blend that's going to make me go WOW and I expect them to figure out what the ratios of the ingredients are to come up with that perfection. I don't mind having a few choices, some like pg and some like vg, but deciding between 50 different options to me just seems like guesswork and then if I get it and it's not right I can't blame the vendor because I was the one who made the choices.

 

[patkin]

I agree with you on good ones not wanting to change their recipe. They've usually tested several base ratios of their juice at various volts/ohms too before marketing. They take pride in what they make. I've only found one exception to the rule and that one does suggest their signature ratio with an asterisk in the selections menu which is to say they don't endorse the other ratios.

 

[rabernet]

I have to agree to a point. I got a free sample from a certain vendor that ended up being so good I vaped it all day for a week until it was gone. The sample claimed to be 80pg/20vg with no flavor shots but I knew that wasn't true at all. It was really thick and had so much flavor it was out of this world. So ordered another bottle but the vendor has a million options. I tried 65pg/35vg with 2 extra flavor shots and guess what, it arrived watery and weak in the flavor. I have no idea what combination is going to reproduce whatever was in that free sample and wish the vendor would just sell it the way it was in the free sample because that was perfect. I think if you know that much about pg/vg/flavor ratios to order a specific mix through a vendor then why not just DIY? What I expect from a vendor is a perfect blend that's going to make me go WOW and I expect them to figure out what the ratios of the ingredients are to come up with that perfection. I don't mind having a few choices, some like pg and some like vg, but deciding between 50 different options to me just seems like guesswork and then if I get it and it's not right I can't blame the vendor because I was the one who made the choices.

Generally VG is listed first, not PG. So when the vendor told you what the blend was, why didn't you just order it exactly the same? Are you sure they didn't mean 80 VG/ 20 PG?

The thing that's awesome about Ahlusion is they tell you in their description their recommended blend, and not only that, three weeks later send you an e-mail asking for feedback. Not a review, feedback. For instance, let's say this juice came from Ahlusion. You'd say "I found this to be very watery in consistency and I would prefer it thicker. I wish the flavor popped a little more, and I vape on this device with this toppper at this resistance and this voltage/wattage (if applicable), and then they profile YOUR flavor preferences, and tweak YOUR recipe to suit you.

Let's just say that this XYZ liquid that you found weak in flavor, I found to be spot on. We both get profiled, we both order this XYZ liquid. Your profiled XYZ liquid will taste different than my XYZ liquid from Ahlusion, because it was individually tailored to each of us.

Remember, taste is subjective. Ahlusion has a fantastic model that lets everyone enjoy a certain flavor, but tweaked to the individual. I might like just a hint of tobacco in a tobacco blend, but you might wish for a stronger punch of tobacco, while also keeping all the other flavors in the blend. But we both like all the ingredients in the blend, to differing degrees.

One size doesn't fit all when it comes to juices. Ahlusion gets that, and gets that in spades.

 

[vaperature]

Generally VG is listed first, not PG. So when the vendor told you what the blend was, why didn't you just order it exactly the same? Are you sure they didn't mean 80 VG/ 20 PG?

I don't have the bottle in front of me but I'm pretty vape savvy. It was 80 pg / 20 vg like I said. This certain vendor always gives free samples at the same alleged ratio of pg / vg / nic but the free samples in actuality typically seem to be about 5 flavor shot 50/50 blends.

In fact, I'm looking at a different bottle that I have from the same vendor right now and the PG is listed first, so don't know where you're coming up with that. I've never seen VG listed first.

 

[rabernet]

I don't have the bottle in front of me but I'm pretty vape savvy. It was 80 pg / 20 vg like I said. This certain vendor always gives free samples at the same alleged ratio of pg / vg / nic but the free samples in actuality typically seem to be about 5 flavor shot 50/50 blends.

In fact, I'm looking at a different bottle that I have from the same vendor right now and the PG is listed first, so don't know where you're coming up with that. I've never seen VG listed first.

Ahlusion always lists VG first. Most of the vendors I've purchased from list VG first. So my apologies that this one didn't.

I guess though, that the rest of my post was meaningless?

 

[dan1boy]

PG is usually always listed first.

And as far as the "batches" are concerned, I personally prefer it.

One of the biggest gripes I have with the plethora of made-to-order joose companies is consistency. I dislike having to rely on a technician to mix my product. I can't tell you how many times in the past I've honey-talked a vendor in the comments section with sayings like, "Hey there! First order! I'm really looking forward to trying you guys based upon all the great reviews I've read online! PLEASE put some extra special love into my bottle, will ya? I've got 10 people waiting to order just as soon as I let them sample...etc. etc." There's a hundred variables involved. When I bond with a particular flavor, I want to know with 100% certainty that when I order it again...it'll look, smell and vape exactly the same way I experienced prior. That's not much to ask. But it really is.