Need a replacement for VV Bear Claw

[SlowTalker]

This has been my all day vape for years, but my last order was crazy bad. They guessed that I got the wrong juice and replaced my order for free, but the replacement was almost as bad as the first one. Even with a month of steeping I can't vape the stuff.

This month I went with ECBlend's Snickerdoodle and while it's not bad, I can't see it becoming an ADV. I have a very limited budget so I can't afford to accumulate a drawer full of mistakes. Any ideas?

 

[Zaryk]

Maybe you could give DIY a shot. I couldn't find a flavor I really enjoyed until I started making my own. And for a vaper on a budget, making your own juice saves a lot of cash.

 

[SlowTalker]

That's a good thought. I have a small bottle of unflavored somewhere....

 

[Zaryk]

That's a good thought. I have a small bottle of unflavored somewhere....

For someone starting out, an unflavored base is a nice place to start. Ecigexpress.com sells 1000ml jugs of unflavored for 20-25 bucks (depending on nic level). Then a few flavors and some syringes would cost maybe another 20 bucks (depending on how many flavors you want) and you could potentially make 1000ml of juice for under $50.

 

[SlowTalker]

Wow, thank you! That would be a huge savings! Any recipe ideas? I have a few dozen bottles of Loranns oils I use for flavoring cupcake frosting.

 

[Zaryk]

Wow, thank you! That would be a huge savings! Any recipe ideas? I have a few dozen bottles of Loranns oils I use for flavoring cupcake frosting.

Do not use oils. They are unhealthy to vape. You will want to get flavors that are in a vg or pg base. I highly recommend buying from a vape supplier.

Just do a Google search for your favorite flavor, and add "clone recipe" to your search. It usually will yield results to recipes that are very similar to the store bought stuff.

 

[SlowTalker]

Thanks!!

 

[smacuser]

Just saw this recipe that seems to be popular. I went to ELR and searched for Bear Claw, then sorted by rating.

I'd probably use V1 of the Cinnamon Danish.

 

[SlowTalker]

This looks really good. Some of the recipes I have been finding have apple in then and I can't do fruit flavors. These ingredients hit all the flavor notes I am used to in the VV version. Thank you very much!

Edit to say thanks for the link

 

[smacuser]

It's probably not the end all. But, it should be a good jumping off point.

 

[SlowTalker]

I mixed this up this afternoon after the final flavoring arrived in the post and I have to say it's damn close to what I was looking for. Right now it is a little weak, but I will let it steep a bit and try it again. I went with a 70/30 VG/PG ratio rather than the 50/50 called for in the recipe so that might be affecting the taste as well. Most important thing is that the mmmmmgood factor is right in there.

I remember when I first got into vaping I took a stab at DIY but back then all the recipes were so may drops of this or that and it was frustrating (and expensive!) trying to get a useful result so I gave it up. Looks like a lot has changed since then.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your help!

 

[smacuser]

I mixed this up this afternoon after the final flavoring arrived in the post and I have to say it's damn close to what I was looking for.

That's great news, thanks for letting us know .

I'm sure it will taste better after a week or two. You might be able to bump your percentages up a little, maybe not past 15% flavor.

Keep us posted.

 

[SlowTalker]

Well, after 10 more days of steeping I can see that the juice is darker and the flavor richer, but the taste has veered off to the side somehow. It is still a great vape, but not as near spot on as it was fresh, and though I like it better now that it's smoothed out, I can see myself tinkering with it to try to get closer to the original I set out to clone.

It's still great enough that I am no longer tempted to order the other stuff. I asked for a sample with my order of a different flavor to tide me over the steeping period and I didn't even bother vaping it - still smells like burnt rubber bands. So glad I made a double (60ml) batch of the new stuff. Wonder what it will be like in another week. You guys have seriously saved my life.

Weird note: I never got into the whole tanks and coils scene because after a half a tank or so my precious AVD Bear Claw started to taste bitter - sort of like these last few orders have tasted (maybe the PO left one of their ingredients sitting on the sun too long).

The DIY Bear Claw doesn't go "darkside" no matter what temp I vape it at. It just goes from barely there to singed - like any normal juice. I might dig out my Kanger Mega whatever tank and give it another try.