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.
I will trade you for the 18 or 20 flavors i hate lol