PEG 400 - Anyone Tried It? Where To Purchase?

[Quin]

(To my understanding PEG 400 is the form of PEG that is acceptable for use in vape.)

Has anyone tried PEG-based liquids? I hear that they have the vapor production of VG with the viscosity of PG - but tastes like almost nothing (so no added sweetness like VG, no added bitterness like PG).

I wanted to try this in my DIY vape but I have no idea where to buy it. I was able to find it on Amazon but it was in far larger quantities (1 liter - 1 gallon) than I would want to purchase for testing.

I would like something to try with flavors that I don't want to be sweet (like tobacco, spice, bakery, or savory flavors) that does not add the bitterness I have noticed with larger quantities of PG (to me, the extra bitterness is great for the tobacco flavors but I didn't like it in the sweet flavors --- I thought PEG would be a nice in-between).


I know PEG lost favor because a lot of bad publicity (for the same reasons PG has been shamed --- because it is used in anti-freeze for the reasons that it lowers the freezing point (note: does not mean it's bad)), but I noticed some companies still use (though few) and it's still something that (while rarely) is talked about in the vape community. Also, people talk about impurities in PEG - but I hear this also about VG quite often. Still - it seems like a good alternative to the other two and could be something worth playing around with.

Any ideas of good vendors to purchase an ounce or two, or any suggestions/opinions about PEG?

 

[JohnnyDill]

I thought that PEG was a laxative!

 

[salemgold]

I believe that Totally Wicked carries it. You may want to look at their site.

ETA- I just looked and they no longer carry it. I do remember it's use in vaping be controversial though.

Taken from the stickies above-

PEG
It is better to avoid PEG for DIY purposes if purchased 'ad hoc', i.e. not from a trusted vendor of inhalation products, as it is difficult to source in the correct viscosity (PEG400); but mainly because it is the most likely of all the excipients to be contaminated with DEG, a poison. It should probably not be used by anyone without access to a testing facility for DEG.

 

[PaulBHC]

A lady had a box of PEG jars for a yard sale. She said I could have some free. I thought it was PG. Got home and read that it was powdered and a laxative. Glad it was a powder or I might not have noticed.

 

[Boletus]

Quin, have you tried using distilled water?

 

[Norrin]

Tried it and it does have a taste, which I couldn't cope with. Got it from a vape vendor in UK so not much help. It is more expensive and funny tasting so can't see any benefits and the DEG danger makes it probably better just to avoid.

 

[Quin]

Yeah, that sounds pretty awful.
These are the reasons I ask. >_< Figure it's probably not wise to just go purchase some without knowing where I'm getting it from - but I've only ever ordered my bases through the company that makes my alkaloids concentrate or from the local health food store (in the case of my VG). I've also used the board as a starting place for looking at where to buy flavorings. So I figured if anyone knew, it'd be you guys.

And, no, I haven't tried distilled water but I assumed that you wouldn't want to overpower a mix with it (in that it would become too thin and flood badly - as I know people use it to thin out VG liquids)? I'm not actually that concerned about thinning down my liquid - the 20/80 pg/vg liquids I make wick just fine. It was more of a curiosity for perfecting the flavors of some of my juices.

 

[Boletus]

Many of us use DW instead of PG, so if you don't like the flavor PG brings to a mix, it might be worth a try. Its advantages are that it's really cheap (about $1/gallon) and completely flavorless. It may help with melding flavors with VG, I can't really say for sure.