Looking for clean and smooth VG and nic. Already liking RTS but should I buy elsewhere?

[johndoe1027]

I literally just started DIY. Placed an order with RTS on monday (flavorings, bottles, pipettes and syringes) and vaped 2 of my own juices already tonight. I know I was supposed to steep them but after an hour I couldn't resist any longer. The results are encouraging!!!

As it stands, for my base I'm using a mix of Heritage VG and Velvet Cloud unflavored base (6mg). I mix those 50/50 to cut the harshness out of the VCV base and get me to 3mg nic. It's working well ATM but those bases will run out and I want to start mixing my own base (not loving the idea of water from the VCV). I don't add PG (yet) so it'll just be VG, nic and flavors.

I want to get some VG and nic that are as clean as possible but also without paying a lot extra. RTS has a good reputation here (the reason I went there in the first place) but I was wondering what all you DIY'ers think is the best (cleanest and smoothest) VG and nic?

Thank you all so much for any suggestions and all of the help you've already given me on my DIY journey. Had to type fast because that bottle of TFA Grape juice @ 12% is calling my name!

 

[Wolfenstark]

Im using a 100mg nic I got from myfreedomsmokes and its been great.

 

[johndoe1027]

Im using a 100mg nic I got from myfreedomsmokes and its been great.

Excellent. I've seen them posted about here often. Off to check out the site. Thanks!

ETA - I like that they have testing results posted prominently on the page. Pricing is the same as RTS as well. That's good. Love that they give you the option of PG/VG ratio including 0 on either end. Looking like a good option for nic.

As my juices are mostly VG right now, I'm also looking for VG recommendations. Kosher/organic/free range VG preferred. ;-)

 

[Train2]

My first stuff was from RTS too.
MANY people say there's a noticeable difference with Nic from Vaperstek. I'll be trying them next.
I've been happy with supplies from Wizard Labs and from Nude Nicotine.
And I finally went and stocked up on heavily recommended VG and PG in volume, from Essential Depot. They're on Amazon, too...

 

[sketchness]

Wizardlabs, Vapers tek from Bullcityvapors and nude nicotine have all been pretty awesome. Individual taste from there determines best to you. For $2 you can get a 15ml sample from nude nicotine to try. I really like them but the are a few dollars more than the other places around the net.

 

[JD1]

RTS nic is hard to beat imo. However, I do think the VT nic is the cleanest tasting nic I've ever tried. As for VG, the USP grade Humco brand sold at Walmart is now labeled as being vegetable based. At less than 4 dollars for 177ml, the price isn't too bad either. It's usually located in with the skin care products.

 

[johndoe1027]

My first stuff was from RTS too.
MANY people say there's a noticeable difference with Nic from Vaperstek. I'll be trying them next.
I've been happy with supplies from Wizard Labs and from Nude Nicotine.
And I finally went and stocked up on heavily recommended VG and PG in volume, from Essential Depot. They're on Amazon, too...

Essential Depot looks like a good place for PG and VG for sure. Should it bother me that their VG specifically says "food grade"??

I start to wonder... since I'm at 2-3 mg/ml nic, should I worry a lot about nic base? I guess every drop counts so... yes!

RTS nic is hard to beat imo. However, I do think the VT nic is the cleanest tasting nic I've ever tried. As for VG, the USP grade Humco brand sold at Walmart is now labeled as being vegetable based. At less than 4 dollars for 177ml, the price isn't too bad either. It's usually located in with the skin care products.

I've read that some people have had a bad reaction to the Humco VG but I personally know a couple that use it with no troubles too. Personally I'd rather pay the extra couple bucks to get it anywhere else but I'm definitely not opposed to buying VG in town. That's where I got the Heritage that I'm using now. It was $6 for 4oz IIRC (health foods store) but most importantly 2 miles from my house.

Thanks for the input on the RTS and VT nic!

Wizardlabs, Vapers tek from Bullcityvapors and nude nicotine have all been pretty awesome. Individual taste from there determines best to you. For $2 you can get a 15ml sample from nude nicotine to try. I really like them but the are a few dollars more than the other places around the net.

Thanks for the suggestions. It's looking like RTS and Vaperstek nic are the first two to try.

I'll probably end up getting some PG after all. After just 24 hours of vaping 90%+ VG juice my lungs are feeling a little heavy. I can't chain vape like I used to with store bought juice. I have been looking into other thinners like PGA, water and saline but each seem to have their own drawbacks. I have to remind myself that people have been mixing juice for several years, this guy probably won't 'reinvent the wheel' in less than a week of DIY. K.I.S.S.

 

[sketchness]

What I don't like about the Humco stuff in stores is that it is 99.5% VG. Not real sure what the other .5% is? And if I am putting it in my lungs it matters to me. additionally to me it is really sweet compared with some other VG I have tried. But at the end of the day I have smoked worse things and would use the bottle I have in a pinch.

I would strongly recommend trying the Nic sample from nude nicotine. They are the cleanest to my taste buds. Better than VT. Don't get me wrong VT is really good. And so is Wizard labs. I have all three and sort of rotate between them. Never tried RTS may have to give them a whirl. Price wise they are on par with nude nicotine.

And yeah 90% VG is rough. 80/20 and 70/30 with 1% saline doesn't do that to me. The saline gives the vape a wetness that I like. It supposedly helps some fruit recipes really pop as well. I don't do a lot of fruit flavors yet so I am not sure on that one.

 

[JD1]

What I don't like about the Humco stuff in stores is that it is 99.5% VG. Not real sure what the other .5% is? ...........

The other .5% is water, and Humco is a huge distributor so what you're buying might be relabeled Humco anyways. I mean, I read that on the internet, so it has to be true, right?

 

[Visus]

Lol Humco is fine vg maybe not P&G grade(havent tried IDK if I have) but works for me.
I do buy Vg from WL too but most of the time I use humco.. Both really good to me...

I love RTS nic, WL nic, .....,. My idea and your idea of clean nic may be different because I like that rawish type tobacco aftertaste when juice is low in atomizer but I also like the none aftertaste too.. Many wont notice that flavor but since I use ss mesh I get every bit of flavor there is. I do not notice it with silica.. Its like cooking with different metals and ceramics, most non sticks you cannot pull out certain nuances that cast iron can but yet when it comes to sauces non stick blows away everything cept ceramic..

If you use silica some cottons you probably could use ma and pa's made outback nic and be ok with it, cotton is marginally better than silica but not on level or close to ss mesh/cable and you never let it get that low in atomizer like you can with mesh.. I am allergic to cotton and hate it, I can only buy certain atomizers and have to wrap/rewrap a coil sometimes 3-7 times before I am satisfied, no shorts and its flavor wicking delivery right..

 

[dannyv45]

I literally just started DIY. Placed an order with RTS on monday (flavorings, bottles, pipettes and syringes) and vaped 2 of my own juices already tonight. I know I was supposed to steep them but after an hour I couldn't resist any longer. The results are encouraging!!!

As it stands, for my base I'm using a mix of Heritage VG and Velvet Cloud unflavored base (6mg). I mix those 50/50 to cut the harshness out of the VCV base and get me to 3mg nic. It's working well ATM but those bases will run out and I want to start mixing my own base (not loving the idea of water from the VCV). I don't add PG (yet) so it'll just be VG, nic and flavors.

I want to get some VG and nic that are as clean as possible but also without paying a lot extra. RTS has a good reputation here (the reason I went there in the first place) but I was wondering what all you DIY'ers think is the best (cleanest and smoothest) VG and nic?

Thank you all so much for any suggestions and all of the help you've already given me on my DIY journey. Had to type fast because that bottle of TFA Grape Juice @ 12% is calling my name!

Vaperstek nic has been good but many lately report that it's been inconsistant. I use RTS myself and find it's not as harsh as others and consistant from batch to batch. But that's my taste not yours so I would buy the smallest amounts the venders have to offer and sample them all until you find what works for you. This is an area where price should not effect your selection. If it's more expensive but works for you then let taste be your guide. It's better to pay more if you enjoy it more. Think of it this way you can enjoy a hamburger from McDonald's or a steak from outback.

 

[johndoe1027]

What I don't like about the Humco stuff in stores is that it is 99.5% VG. Not real sure what the other .5% is? And if I am putting it in my lungs it matters to me. additionally to me it is really sweet compared with some other VG I have tried. But at the end of the day I have smoked worse things and would use the bottle I have in a pinch.

I would strongly recommend trying the Nic sample from nude nicotine. They are the cleanest to my taste buds. Better than VT. Don't get me wrong VT is really good. And so is Wizard labs. I have all three and sort of rotate between them. Never tried RTS may have to give them a whirl. Price wise they are on par with nude nicotine.

And yeah 90% VG is rough. 80/20 and 70/30 with 1% saline doesn't do that to me. The saline gives the vape a wetness that I like. It supposedly helps some fruit recipes really pop as well. I don't do a lot of fruit flavors yet so I am not sure on that one.

I'm going to give saline a try. I've read mixed reviews but it's worth a try since I do a lot of fruit juices. Thanks for your suggestions and experience!

I'm going to start with RTS VG and nic as I was already building a decent flavor order there. I'll try Nude and VT next. I really appreciate everyone's suggestions and advice. Y'all are the best!

 

[johndoe1027]

Vaperstek nic has been good but many lately report that it's been inconsistant. I use RTS myself and find it's not as harsh as others and consistant from batch to batch. But that's my taste not yours so I would buy the smallest amounts the venders have to offer and sample them all until you find what works for you. This is an area where price should not effect your selection. If it's more expensive but works for you then let taste be your guide. It's better to pay more if you enjoy it more. Think of it this way you can enjoy a hamburger from McDonald's or a steak from outback.

Good point. Since I vape 2-3 mg/ml nic the price differences become negligible quick. I've seen a lot of your posts around the DIY section and your vote for RTS definitely helped cement my decision to start there. Thank you.

 

[Muero]

Yeah, I've not really had any bad experiences with RTS nic. Once I did get a slightly oxidized nic from RTS, but it did not affect the flavor so yeah.

 

[crxess]

Well I hope I didn't waste my money. After comparing prices of all the venders listed by others here, I went to MFS and picked up a 1 liter 100mg 100%pg for $45.
Many compare it to WL's nic, which I have been using.
If it is suitable at all, that is less than 1/2 from anywhere else.

 

[Rotowoman]

What vendor is RTS?

 

[DancingHeretik]

DIY E-Cig Supplies & E-Cigarette Liquid | Make Your Own E-Liquid | RTS Vapes

 

[dannyv45]

Well I hope I didn't waste my money. After comparing prices of all the venders listed by others here, I went to MFS and picked up a 1 liter 100mg 100%pg for $45.
Many compare it to WL's nic, which I have been using.
If it is suitable at all, that is less than 1/2 from anywhere else.

I bought some from there about a month ago. 100mg in VG. Not to bad but still prefered RTS over it. Not sure how good the PG stuff is but my last batch about a year ago was very harsh. Several have said that the most recent batch was good though.

 

[johndoe1027]

I have a soft spot for RTS because they are in my home state. It's sort of like shopping local...