Once again, I'm about ready to give up

[Saltraker]

A few weeks back, I posted that I was getting fed up with DIY because no matter what I did I could not mix a decent juice. You all encouraged me to keep trying and I appreciate that.

Well, I have been trying and I'm again ready to throw in the towel. I've downloaded dozens of recipes, from ECF as well as other sources, I have followed recipes to the letter, I have read comments on the threads, I have watched tons of YT videos. I have bought tons of flavors, I have steeped, I have shaken...and for what? Of the dozens of recipes I have mixed, maybe 10% have come out OK. Not OMG, That's Good!, but OK. All of those have been simple mixes like a single fruit or two. Not exactly what I was after, but I'll take 'em! Almost all of the juices I have mixed are "meh," some downright awful. Like I've said, only a very few have been vapable and even those haven't been all that great.

So now I'm pretty much stuck. I'm stuck as to what to do. I'm stuck with what I apparently am not doing right. I'm stuck with a liter of nic, big bottles of PG and VG, and flavors scattered all over my workspace. I honestly don't get it. I wish there was someone I could turn to locally, but there isn't anyone. So, once again, I am turning to my friends on ECF.

I know that experimentation and tweeking are part of the game. What I don't get is what I'm not doing right.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[CosNy1]

I'm far from a pro myself but what worked for me was mixing single flavors then adding different flavors that fit for what I was looking for in tast

I made a decent cheescake that's an ADV for myself and some friends I made few batches and they love it
everything else for me is a hit or miss mostly miss lol but i do steep in a hot UC 8 min cycles for 2 hrs

 

[b.m.]

I've had the same problem,and like you have been very close to giving up a few times.I can tell you,it takes some time,then one day you will mix something and it will be fantastic.The biggest problem i have had,was that i started diy'ng just a few weeks after i started vaping,and had no idea what tastes i was even trying to find,so it got really discouraging to make a 20 mixes and not like any of them.I've been making my own since April and still find that probably 90% of them i dont like,but that 10% that are good make it worth the journey for me to keep going.If you have certain flavors that you have tried before and know you like,i would lookfor recipes based off of those flavors and your bound to find something that will keep you going.

 

[GaryInTexas]

I prefer the simple flavors myself. I found the key for me was finding the right flavor from the right vendor. I've tried a ton of flavors to find that I like a few from several different vendors but don't like all the flavors from any one vendor. Right now I'm using about 5 different flavoring brands.

 

[Norrin]

OK I mix simple flavours and 70% are OK 20% are bad some I throw and about 10% are great so I tend to stick with the great and muck about with the other, but you aren't even getting this and I bet it's getting really annoying. The thing I would suggest is to stop, if you have anything you do that you really like do that, but stop experimenting take a break from it and let yourself chill. When you feel like trying again come back to it and using premixed juices you might pick up a few ideas in the meantime, I think if you keep trying to push on you will spoil this totally for yourself. Pity you have no one to help you, I'm the same, but maybe someone who has a really good one could send you a sample with the directions and you could try to get that copied? Hope you find a solution that makes you happy though.

 

[minimalsaint]

Is the problem that you're trying to clone a certain favorite and it's not working out as planned? For me, once I stopped trying to make someone else's recipe and started enjoying my own it was all uphill.
Try going light on the flavors as well. I over flavored everything at first and it ended up as a muddled mess that tasted like nothing (if I was lucky). Turns out I prefer very light percentages of flavorings in my mixes.

 

[vaperature]

DIY is not for everyone. Just like everyone is not a chef. I actually can make a pretty good omelet and one heck of a Thai coconut milk soup, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be hired by a fancy restaurant. Don't feel bad if you just don't have the knack. Personally I have tons of DIY supplies but only use them occasionally when I feel like fooling around. My diy juices are pretty average as well but I enjoy them just for the sake of knowing I only spent pennies making them. None of them compare to what I've purchased from the professionals though.

 

[Boletus]

My main motivations are budget and knowing what is in my vape, so as long as my juice is not disgusting, I am OK with it. But I set my sights pretty low, compared to a lot of folks. I make sure I have juice on hand that I can vape (I actually am fond of unflavored, so again, I am easy to please), and then I experiment around looking for good ways forward. I have a few mixes that have progressed beyond OK into "pretty good" territory, but I am still working on them and don't have go-to recipes, per se, yet.

I have been doing this for 5 months, and I spent the first three working with 3 flavorings. Now I have 8, and the complexity has increased dramatically, along with my chance of making stuff I do not like. It sounds like you have set the bar very high for yourself. Can you be OK with "pretty good" while you are hunting for the excellent?

 

[Ohio Points]

I've been doing DIY for almost 2 years now and find single flavors to be the most appealing ( it's jut trial and error and finding good recommendations to get these), then I'll mix up something in a separate bottle, like Hazelnut to add to my RDA ,RBA or clearomizer with another bakery or tobacco juice.

 

[Hoosier]

What does a flavorless mix at your typical nic level taste like?

 

[Strangletooth]

What is one of the recipes you're trying, and what are you using to measure with? I only ask because after A LOT of juice thrown in the toilet, I've finally found that "less is ALWAYS more"...

With that said, post a recipe or two, doesn't matter where they came from as there's little left for the imagination compared to what's posted on a dozen sites, but ya know... It's the subtle additives and steep time/manner which usually yields the best juice... [EDIT] post the recipe, but also include what you did, how you're measuring, and what the results were... Are you on any DIY groups on FB? This place is a friggin GEM of a resource, but you may find someone nearby via FB too...

I feel your pain tho bro, I'm in the StL area, but if you're ever around here, I'd be more than happy to help you out, we can toss ..... together... LOL

 

[amoret]

I prefer the simple flavors myself. I found the key for me was finding the right flavor from the right vendor. I've tried a ton of flavors to find that I like a few from several different vendors but don't like all the flavors from any one vendor. Right now I'm using about 5 different flavoring brands.

This for sure. I was raised on using the scientific method, so when I started DIY I bought several brands each of the flavors I started with. The difference can be totally amazing, and there is no one brand that is all good or all bad. Since each flavoring cost less than a small bottle of commercial juice it doesn't bother me at all to have some that I'm never going to use again after the first trial.

That and starting at low levels of flavoring. I've been happiest at or below the suggested starting levels for all but one of the flavors that I've ended up using much. I see some of the recipes with 20 or even 30% flavoring and I just can't imagine it.

 

[Ablonz]

+ 1 on what your using and doing. is it 70/30 18 mg or 80/20 12 mg? I usually have mine about 75/25 or 70/30 roughly around 16 mg

 

[passerbyeus]

DIY made easy....

First get the premix like 50/50 with 12mg nic or what ever your preference is...
example....12mg Unflavored Nicotine Base - ecigExpress


Then get some good concentrated flavors like these.
E-Cig Flavors - Inawera | EcigExpress


All you need to do is add 4-5 drops of flavoring for a 6ml premix, shake and vape, its done...


And these are just examples I am not advertising

 

[redddog]

I thought that ^^^^ was gonna be the case as well.

Buy some Pre-mixed 50/50 nic juice, grab a few of my favorite flavors, add a few drops and all set. Not the case at all.

All I wanted was a few candy flavors : Grape, Cherry, Apple etc. I grabbed some TFA flavors and dropped them in (like you said) and they taste nothing like what is advertised. I come to find out that these flavors all have to be augmented with several other flavors to get anywhere near what the single flavor you thought you'd get by just adding a few drops.

I started wanting to do just that - add some flavor to some 50/50 nic base and be on my way. It's been FAR more complicated and FAR less rewarding. I get that some people love the process and consider that a form of artistry and I would agree. But for the guy just looking to quick and painlessly enjoy the cost benefits of DIY juice without a degree in Chemistry, I gotta say, I'm with the OP. I've found it to be complicated and time consuming and have yet to produce anything really good yet. And Ironically, all I want is a Grape Candy flavor. It's not like I'm looking for some Cherry Lime Lemon Vanilla Nut Tiramasu Crunch Cake recipe.

And I have a cabinet FULL of 8 ML flavors from TFA that I won't ever use.

 

[GaryInTexas]

^^^ Try some FW Grape soda (Welchs flavor) at 15%. Very nice on it's own.

 

[Tranquility Base]

Don't stop because 95% of what you made was crap. 95% of everything everyone makes is crap.

Most of my DIY flavors fed the drain too, probably bought 50 different flavorings over the past year and wind up using just 5 or so most often. It's the half dozen or so juice mixes I make that are good that keeps me going. Even if you mix one you really like, you can save money. But I realize for some the whole experimentation thing turns out not to be for them. I'll try a new flavoring now and then. Hell I even tried TFA Dill Pickle. Like the dill but the cucumber element was gross.

 

[CoilMeister]

What does a flavorless mix at your typical nic level taste like?

I agree, might be the nic,pg or vg possibly contaminated.
Rule these out 1st.

Kurt

 

[CoilMeister]

A few weeks back, I posted that I was getting fed up with DIY because no matter what I did I could not mix a decent juice. You all encouraged me to keep trying and I appreciate that.

Well, I have been trying and I'm again ready to throw in the towel. I've downloaded dozens of recipes, from ECF as well as other sources, I have followed recipes to the letter, I have read comments on the threads, I have watched tons of YT videos. I have bought tons of flavors, I have steeped, I have shaken...and for what? Of the dozens of recipes I have mixed, maybe 10% have come out OK. Not OMG, That's Good!, but OK. All of those have been simple mixes like a single fruit or two. Not exactly what I was after, but I'll take 'em! Almost all of the juices I have mixed are "meh," some downright awful. Like I've said, only a very few have been vapable and even those haven't been all that great.

So now I'm pretty much stuck. I'm stuck as to what to do. I'm stuck with what I apparently am not doing right. I'm stuck with a liter of nic, big bottles of PG and VG, and flavors scattered all over my workspace. I honestly don't get it. I wish there was someone I could turn to locally, but there isn't anyone. So, once again, I am turning to my friends on ECF.

I know that experimentation and tweeking are part of the game. What I don't get is what I'm not doing right.

Sorry for the rant.

Can you post up what brand your flavors are, also are you measuring the flavors by drops or ml, do you use pipettes or syringes.

Also post up a recipe that didn't work out and include the percentages.

Kurt

 

[2naphish]

What does a flavorless mix at your typical nic level taste like?

to OP....aha! follow this advice and you MIGHT find your answer....trust me on this....