Hi Vape1000RR,
Welcome, and congratulations on going smoke-free!
That's it in a nutshell. You will also need something to mix into. I would add basic personal safety equipment (nitrile/latex/vinyl gloves and eye protection). Also, a scale would go into the "optional" catagory; it is only needed if you choose to measure by weight. (The two most common methods of measuring is by weight (using a scale) and by volume (using syringes). Either is fine and both have their supporters. If you are just beginning to experiment and not sure if DIY is going to be for you; volume/syringes is the cheaper way to start (a scale is going to set you back an additional $20 or more depending on the capacity you want{and you will still most likely want syringes as applicators if you choose weighing later on}).
Afraid I am not familiar with MBV.
NN is very well thought of and has a reputation for having some of the "cleanest"(tasteless, odorless) nicotine offered by US vendors. They also sell packaging that is freezer ready. That said the are the second most expensive and some of their packaging starts leaning toward the gimmicky side of this (
my opinion). If money is not a concern there is absolutely nothing wrong with them. And, as I said, they have a very large following.
For someone who is just beginning to explore DIY; I like to recommend
Wizard Labs. They will have everything you need to get started, at a lower cost, and in smaller volumes (in the case of flavors) with a broader selections. They carry a majority of the main flavor manufacturers you will find used in the recipes here on ECF. Their nicotine is not as "clean"(it has a little more flavor to it) as NN but many still find it quite acceptable. There only big shortcoming is they do not carry Flavor Arts flavorings.
Bull City Vapor is another popular site. Their only down-side is they don't offer nicotine and their mixing equipment is kind of limited.
As
@Zipslack posted,
RTS is another popular one. Their strong suit is they have some of the least expensive nicotine on the market right now. They also carry a good selection of flavoring (though I have noticed some missing from more than one of the manufactures; I don't know if that is because they are out of stock or if it is just not in their interest {too much inventory to carry/not profitable}). I have not yet tried their nicotine so I can't give you an opinion but it has been said it is comparable to Wizard Labs. I did order 2 liters of 100mg/mL from RTS for my "hedge fund" if that says anything.
The last one I will mention, as a one-and-done site, is
My Freedom Smokes. They are another one that has a pretty big following here on ECF. They are also the one I know the least about. From reading other threads here on ECF they have a reputation of having one of the strongest tasting nicotines of the US vendors. Though, of late, that may not the case any more. Again; this is a vendor I have not used as yet, nor have I vaped their nicotine, so this is just my here-say.
I have shopped with WL, BCV, and RTS. In my opinion all are reputable and I still do business with all of them today.
A note on nicotine: for a component that is thought of as a non-flavor, it can vary quite a bit, and be VERY subjective to the individual user. Some users can use ANY nic and others find nuances in it like fine wines. Some even will intentionally age/oxidize it to impart additional flavor.
Also, when reading threads on nicotine you will frequently hear references to it being "clean." This usually refers to taste, or absence thereof, and not reference to the presence of impurities. Flavors most often associated to nicotine are pepper, tobacco, and sometimes and "off" or plastic-like taste. There are a lot of other descriptions that you will see if you do a bit of research. A good place to start is the
Nicotine Comparison thread. It is huge but well worth a read if you want to get an understanding of what is out there. I would also recommend not going back any more than six months as any vendor's product can, and will likely, change over a period of time.
I should also provide the disclaimer that I am NOT a nicotine connoisseur. I have used WL nicotine for the year plus of DIY that I have been mixing. This last month I have branched out and purchased nicotine from RTS and Heartland Vapes but have not yet broken into the bottles to taste.
I vape routinely at 30/70 and have gone from 12mg to 9mg, to 6mg and use PG based flavors and have never had a problem reaching my desired ratio worth either VG or PG based nicotine. However, I have recently started mixing for a friend of mine, and he is vaping at 18mg AND is sensitive to the dry-mouth PG gives him. With the amount of flavorings used in his all-day vape I can not get the desired amount of VG into his mix using my PG flavorings. Because of that I am going back to VG based nic.
Your base for nic is 99.9% personal preference. Some like PG for convenience (it is thinner/not as viscus and easier to draw uo into a syringe). Others like VG because VG
MAY provide a slight benefit for long-term storage (as a more viscus medium the molecules move more slowly and therefore the oxidation reaction will happen more slowly... this opinion is supported by our resident chemist
@Kurt).
I guess I should also note here that there are (kinda/sorta) two schools of thought on flavor use; High Flavor Mix/ers (HFM) and Low Flavor Mix/ers (LFM). Those of the HFM camp will routinely mix with total flavor percentages in the 20%-30% (and higher) range liking the ability to "shake and vape" virtually anything they mix. While LFM vapers prefer to mix at total flavor percentages often below 10% (and sometimes as low as1% depending on the flavor and personal preference) accepting the need to steep and avoiding perceived unwanted flavor notes (chemical, harsh, perfume). It is also more cost effective (usually, mL for mL, flavor is the single most expensive ingredient. Followed by nicotine).
Neither is right or wrong. It all depends on what works for you. I started as a HFM but have been moving to more of a LFM as my taste buds have started to recover from smoking.
I mention this because the total amount of flavoring, like everything else, will effect your PG/VG ratio.
If you limit yourself to VG based flavors you will be severely limiting yourself to potential flavors (the majority out there are PG based) AND limiting your
direct use of most recipes. This does not mean that there are not recipes out there for VG flavors. And this does not mean you can't adapt PG flavored recipes to similar VG flavors. It is just going to take more experimentation.
If you have an allergy to PG; then you should definitely try to stay with VG flavoring. If Your goal is to blow clouds and taste is secondary; VG flavors might help. If you only care about cloud chasing you might think about skipping flavor altogether and go unflavored... a lot more cost effective and you can mix up ounces in just a few minutes.
Even if clouds aren't your thing, don't disregard unflavored. A few months ago I was suffering from serious vaper's tongue and nothing sounded or tasted good. But I was almost out of juice. I read of quite a few people here who simply vape unflavored; so I said "what the heck." Turns out I like it. I mixed up 120mL of my usual 30/70 and it has just a touch of sweetness (from the VG) and I didn't grow tired of it. Don't get me wrong; it is not the kind of flavor you crave. But, on the other hand, I have never taken a draw and said "not gonna work" either. It is now part of my regular rotation. It also has the added benefit of making it super simple to do single flavor tests.
But, if flavor is your primary focus, I wouldn't worry about what base the flavor is in. Every flavor manufacture has flavors I like and flavors I don't. I like manufacturer A's Watermelon better than manufacturer B's. But I like manufacturer B's Vanilla Custard better than manufacturer A's. And it is all subjective. If you are looking for that "perfect" juice you won't know until you try.
I strongly encourage you to find 3 or 4 recipes that you really want to try, look at the total flavor percentage called for, and (if a specific PG/VG ratio is important to you) see if you can attain your desired ratio.
Also, having 3 or 4 recipes will help you home in on what specific flavors you will need to get started.
I did it the wrong way. I went to a web site and started ordering flavors that looked interesting. My first order was 86 FLAVORS!
19 months later and I still have about a third of them that I haven't even opened!
Calculators are a big help. Besides doing the math for you, and showing you the specific milliliters or grams to add, they can manage your recipes and inventory, and give you a place to take notes.
Which brings me to my last soap box (well... for this paragraph at least
). NOTES:As you are learning what works for you (how you measure, how you shake, how you steep, how you taste, what your initial opinions of taste are, what your later opinions are, what worked, WHAT DIDN'T WORK, what you might like to try next time... getting the idea?) W R I T E___E V E R Y T H I N G___D O W N !
I wish I could have the time, and the supplies, I wasted from failing to take good notes. Repeating mistakes and having to take incremental steps to re-find that "sweet spot." I swear that I have at least 2 million dollar recipes floating out there in the ether because I didn't record accurately what I did and I have NEVER been able to recreate them again (sorry; is that redundant? "Recreate" and "again."
).
I'm getting off my soap box now.
As for steeping; I will only say don't get too hung up on it. Some flavors truly do require long steeps (horrible word... "blending" would be a better choice) like tobaccos and custards. Other flavors will actually suffer from long resting periods like lemon and other floral/light flavors due to the loss of desired volatile compounds. Flavors with ethyl alcohol need to be "aired out" (left open/caps off) to allow the alcohol to evaporate or they can be quite harsh. Like everything else, it is important to taste early and taste often, to learn what the flavor's characteristics are like.
I hope this has been more help than confusion!
Welcome again, and good luck on your vaping and DIY journey.
Thank you sir.
(no offense 
