Making it economical.. help please!

[greyg00se19]

One of the many reasons, and probably the biggest one, to quit smoking was because of the money. Buying the juice from other websites in the 30ml sounded good, but now I've come across a few websites, (myfreedomsmokes.com, and the bear juice) which seem to have some really good prices for bulk, unflavored juice. It looks like I can save a ton of money by diluting myself, but what are the con's to this, if any? And, if i bought 250 or 500 mL of the 48mg bottle, is the only other thing i need flavor and pure PG? Is it difficult to get the mixture right?

 

[thewomenfolk]

Go to Tips and Tricks from the main Forum, then DIY (do-it-yourself) e-liquids. It's easy to mix your own, and they have some charts for you for mixing nicotine. I like using VG (Vegetable Glycerin) because it's so cheap and easy to get, and makes great Vapor! Good luck!

Edit....you can use a few drops of Vodka or Everclear to dilute the thick VG, gives even more Vapor.

 

[the86d]

I usually go with 30/30/20/10/10 PG/VG/eLiquid/Flavor/DistilledWater respectively. (A bit of PGA once in a while, like 30% after the above mixture when I feel the need.)

I don't like PG or VG Flavored Juice Stretching, the flavor just sucks this way.

I just bought some 75mg and I will cut it with PG. I have been cutting PG based eLiquids with PG, and haven't had a problem with the "eLiquid only cut". This works GREAT!

I do not like the dropped flavor from PG or VG added to a pre-flavored juice, not even J.Creek juice with "PG the flavor stretcher".

 

[SuncoastGal]

If you've got a feed store or Tractor Supply store in your area, more then likely you'll be able to find a gallon of USP grade PG for around $20.00. It's just fine to use for DIY cutting/mixing.

Cutting the higher strengths will save you a lot of money but if you're buying flavored nic juice, I'd suggest you also get the flavoring to match because by cutting, you'll lose a lot of flavor. I use LorAnn's flavorings for mixing my own flavors and because most of them are very strong, you only need to add a few drops.

I also use vg in my mix because it's what adds to the vapor production.

 

[MHR7331]

One of the many reasons, and probably the biggest one, to quit smoking was because of the money. Buying the juice from other websites in the 30ml sounded good, but now I've come across a few websites, (myfreedomsmokes.com, and the bear juice) which seem to have some really good prices for bulk, unflavored juice. It looks like I can save a ton of money by diluting myself, but what are the con's to this, if any? And, if i bought 250 or 500 mL of the 48mg bottle, is the only other thing i need flavor and pure PG? Is it difficult to get the mixture right?

Pros: Save a TON of money (some sites charge $30 per 30ml... insanity), have flexibility(you aren't "stuck" with a big bottle of stuff you realize you don't like), and you can mix and match flavors/strength to your liking.

Cons: It takes some trial and error to mix up the right concoction, can be messy, and you don't get fancy bottles with cool logos and fonts.

Honestly, it's a no-brainer to me. You don't have to be a chemist to DIY this stuff, just have to exercise caution and good judgment. Oh, and you can also mix in VG (glycerin) as well as PG, which will give you more dense vapor, but seemingly less throat hit.

 

[instantinlaw]

If you've got a feed store or Tractor Supply store in your area, more then likely you'll be able to find a gallon of USP grade PG for around $20.00. It's just fine to use for DIY cutting/mixing.

Cutting the higher strengths will save you a lot of money but if you're buying flavored nic juice, I'd suggest you also get the flavoring to match because by cutting, you'll lose a lot of flavor. I use LorAnn's flavorings for mixing my own flavors and because most of them are very strong, you only need to add a few drops.

I also use vg in my mix because it's what adds to the vapor production.

Thanks for the tip on LorAnn's. Are there other suggestions for flavorings? & should I just stick with the candy oils?

 

[DC2]

Are there other suggestions for flavorings?

For flavorings people generally use Loranns or Capellas.
But Flavourart is like a flavor wonderland.

 

[instantinlaw]

Thanks DC2!

 

[Raenon]

I would mention that there is a reason most people stick to just those few well known brands of flavorings- even LorAnn's is misnamed as "candy oil" as it's not an oil based product.
You have to be careful to stay away from products containing oil, volatile flavorings, or sugar. Any of these things can absolutely wreck your vaping rig, hence the proven solutions.

I just started mixing for myself, and I'll throw my support behind the LorAnn's flavorings, that is some powerful flavor.
I think I'm going to invest in a small supply of tobacco absolute next... after I learn a bit more about it, that is.

Keep reading, and experiment a bit for yourself!

 

[instantinlaw]

I would mention that there is a reason most people stick to just those few well known brands of flavorings- even LorAnn's is misnamed as "candy oil" as it's not an oil based product.
You have to be careful to stay away from products containing oil, volatile flavorings, or sugar. Any of these things can absolutely wreck your vaping rig, hence the proven solutions.

I just started mixing for myself, and I'll throw my support behind the LorAnn's flavorings, that is some powerful flavor.
I think I'm going to invest in a small supply of tobacco absolute next... after I learn a bit more about it, that is.

Keep reading, and experiment a bit for yourself!

Thanks for those points too Raenon, I wouldn't want to destroy my hardware and werck a batch of juice all in the same step.

 

[greyg00se19]

I would mention that there is a reason most people stick to just those few well known brands of flavorings- even LorAnn's is misnamed as "candy oil" as it's not an oil based product.
You have to be careful to stay away from products containing oil, volatile flavorings, or sugar. Any of these things can absolutely wreck your vaping rig, hence the proven solutions.

I just started mixing for myself, and I'll throw my support behind the LorAnn's flavorings, that is some powerful flavor.
I think I'm going to invest in a small supply of tobacco absolute next... after I learn a bit more about it, that is.

Keep reading, and experiment a bit for yourself!

what is tobacco absolute?

otherwise.. lots of good info! thanks everyone...

 

[DC2]

I would mention that there is a reason most people stick to just those few well known brands of flavorings- even LorAnn's is misnamed as "candy oil" as it's not an oil based product.
You have to be careful to stay away from products containing oil, volatile flavorings, or sugar. Any of these things can absolutely wreck your vaping rig, hence the proven solutions.

I imagine you didn't mean to imply it, but your post following after my post could make it look that way, so I want to make it clear that Flavourart is not underutilized because of any issues you mention above, but because not enough people know about them yet.

They cater to electronic cigarette users, and know what they're doing.
I have never used them, or any of them for that matter, since I don't mix my own juice.

But just check out their website to see what I mean.
It's only a click, it won't hurt.

And to expand on that point, Totally Wicked is now working with them on special formulations.

 

[MaxUT]

what is tobacco absolute?

It's highly concentrated essence of tobacco, used for making tobacco-flavored eliquid. It usually requires the addition of ethyl maltol to remove its harshness.

see here for more info:
DIY e-liquid - e-cigarette-forum.com • The place for electronic cigarette reviews, news and chat

 

[Raenon]

Quite the opposite, I've heard great things about Flavourart. If I'd not already had access to a cache of LorAnn's, I'd have probably started with that!
I meant to include Lorann's, Capellas, and Flavourart as the more commonly used, and generally recognized as safe for vaping liquid use.

I imagine you didn't mean to imply it, but your post following after my post could make it look that way, so I want to make it clear that Flavourart is not underutilized because of any issues you mention above, but because not enough people know about them yet.