price comparison
- Thread starter hydrox4all
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
-
- Tags
- ecigexpress madvapes
- Status
I just calculated that last nite. The cost of my mix (18mg/ml nic, 25/75 PG/VG, flavoring) comes out to about $1.86 per 30ml.
Thats about 1.5 weeks of vaping for $1.86. Awesome! I think I've paid $20 for 20ml of juice. If I can get on average a starter set of 510"s to last 3 months I may be paying $140.00 annually in equipment and $65 for juice. $205 annually? I do have at this point the dreaded PVAC (PV acquisition syndrome) but it's getting to a point I will be set with equipment and the annual cost should level out. Hopefully.
Thats about 1.5 weeks of vaping for $1.86. Awesome! I think I've paid $20 for 20ml of juice. If I can get on average a starter set of 510"s to last 3 months I may be paying $140.00 annually in equipment and $65 for juice. $205 annually? I do have at this point the dreaded PVAC (PV acquisition syndrome) but it's getting to a point I will be set with equipment and the annual cost should level out. Hopefully.
another question: can someone give me a shopping list of what I would need to make my own juice?
I've seen a starter kit on the web for $30, but it appears to come with a ridiculous amount of extras.
I've seen a starter kit on the web for $30, but it appears to come with a ridiculous amount of extras.
30 ml = ~50 cents to $1 for flavoring, $1.15 for nic juice and mixed to 24mg, a few cents for VG. Works out to right around $2.30 / 30ml bottle. It comes out to ~7.6 cents/ml. Typical juice cost is ~50 cents/ml for premixed but ranges from ~30 cents/ml to over $1/ml depending on the vendor. My premixed juice vendors usually charge between $14.95 to $16.50 for a 30ml bottle. I buy the hard to mix flavors from them and mix my own easy flavors, the ones that take a single flavoring, or one flavoring and sweetener. There's no sense buying a strawberry flavor for $15 when I can mix a good one for a couple of bux.
The key to keeping costs down is to buy larger quantities of nic juice only when it's on a good sale, and buy flavorings in larger quantities once you find some you can live with for a while.
The key to keeping costs down is to buy larger quantities of nic juice only when it's on a good sale, and buy flavorings in larger quantities once you find some you can live with for a while.
I've priced the kits and seen what comes in them and some of the stuff I wouldn't use. The basics that you need are:
nic juice
PG and/or VG
flavorings
2 or 3 small syringes in the 2 or 3 ml range, usually around $1 to $2 each
2 syringes in the 10 ml range, usually around $1 to $2 each
bottles to mix your juice in, some 3 or 5 ml for testing are nice, and some 10 ml, and if you want to mix larger quantities get some 30 ml, small sizes are about 50 cents, larger about 75 cents each (or save and wash out your used bottles and remove the labels)
gloves if you're working with high nic concentrations, a buck at Walmart
a calculator such as this one e-Juice Calculator | ecigexpress for free
That'll get you started and you can add more stuff as you need it.
nic juice
PG and/or VG
flavorings
2 or 3 small syringes in the 2 or 3 ml range, usually around $1 to $2 each
2 syringes in the 10 ml range, usually around $1 to $2 each
bottles to mix your juice in, some 3 or 5 ml for testing are nice, and some 10 ml, and if you want to mix larger quantities get some 30 ml, small sizes are about 50 cents, larger about 75 cents each (or save and wash out your used bottles and remove the labels)
gloves if you're working with high nic concentrations, a buck at Walmart
a calculator such as this one e-Juice Calculator | ecigexpress for free
That'll get you started and you can add more stuff as you need it.
great info. are all these items stuff you buy locally? and if so what type of store?
You can find syringes locally at pharmacies, just ask for oral medication syringes for infants. Regular syringes are available at farm stores for giving injections to livestock (blunt the tip so you don't stick yourself).
VG can be purchased at Walmart, I pay $2.67 or so for a 6 oz bottle of Humco brand USP grade, it's located right above the rubbing alcohol and says skin protectant on it but that's the stuff you're looking for.
PG is harder to find locally, I ordered mine from Madvapes for $4.99 for a 4 oz bottle.
You can find flavorings in stores that sell candy making supplies. Lorann's is the most commonly found. It's usually around $1 for a 1 dram (3.7 ml) bottle.
New bottles are probably best found on the internet, I got a bunch from Madvapes. If you reuse old bottles just wash with soap and water and rinse them really good to get all the soap residue out of them.
Nic juice is the most difficult to find, you probably won't be able to get it locally. I got mine from Gourmet Vapor, but it says Box Elder Chemical Supply on the bottle so that's where it came from originally. I got 250 ml of 100mg for ~$40 when it was on a 1/2 off sale.
VG can be purchased at Walmart, I pay $2.67 or so for a 6 oz bottle of Humco brand USP grade, it's located right above the rubbing alcohol and says skin protectant on it but that's the stuff you're looking for.
PG is harder to find locally, I ordered mine from Madvapes for $4.99 for a 4 oz bottle.
You can find flavorings in stores that sell candy making supplies. Lorann's is the most commonly found. It's usually around $1 for a 1 dram (3.7 ml) bottle.
New bottles are probably best found on the internet, I got a bunch from Madvapes. If you reuse old bottles just wash with soap and water and rinse them really good to get all the soap residue out of them.
Nic juice is the most difficult to find, you probably won't be able to get it locally. I got mine from Gourmet Vapor, but it says Box Elder Chemical Supply on the bottle so that's where it came from originally. I got 250 ml of 100mg for ~$40 when it was on a 1/2 off sale.
Try your area Tractor Supply store for PG. Some have it, some don't. I find that the stores in an area where there are dairy cows have it. I got a gallon of it for about $24 and split it with a friend.
I have found some flavors of lorann at hobby lobby 2 dram bottles (7ml) for 3.29 but with the cost of gas its cheaper to just pick an online store and place an order. you will also need some sweetener (or not) you can get a sample of ezsweetz for about $3 delivered.. just add a drop or two and it will last a long time.
I also like to order from tasty vapor.. they have 4oz bottles of pg and vg for $5 to $7 each and I would also order a bottle of their sweetener for $2.
I got my nic juice (in pg) from nicvape.. 30ml of 100mg for $13.50 .. they also have pg and vg and flavors.. 10ml for 3.50.. and bottles and syringes.. so you could order everything you need from nicvape and spend just one shipping charge.
My favorite flavor vendor so far is capellas.. they have an awesome vanilla custard that makes anything taste great! They are a bit more expensive than some of the other flavor suppliers but that is what I like.
I like to use 6ml bottles to mix my stuff and I'm lucky.. I can get those free at work.. but I think that ebay is a good place to buy bottles in bulk.
I also like to order from tasty vapor.. they have 4oz bottles of pg and vg for $5 to $7 each and I would also order a bottle of their sweetener for $2.
I got my nic juice (in pg) from nicvape.. 30ml of 100mg for $13.50 .. they also have pg and vg and flavors.. 10ml for 3.50.. and bottles and syringes.. so you could order everything you need from nicvape and spend just one shipping charge.
My favorite flavor vendor so far is capellas.. they have an awesome vanilla custard that makes anything taste great! They are a bit more expensive than some of the other flavor suppliers but that is what I like.
I like to use 6ml bottles to mix my stuff and I'm lucky.. I can get those free at work.. but I think that ebay is a good place to buy bottles in bulk.
Last edited:
Interesting I just calculated this last weekend. I've been able to duplicate the taste of 3 of my favorite vendor juices so far. The ingredients are more expensive than I initially thought they would be, but its still a huge savings.
Capella cost to make 90ml of 20% flavor juice
18.0ml Flavor $8.28 ($0.46/ml)
21.6ml 100mg VG Nic 7.34 ($0.34/ml)
50.4ml VG 2.01 ($0.04/ml)
-------------
$17.63 ($0.19/ml) (compared to vendor 44.85 @ $0.49/ml)
This doesn't take into account experiments that fail, but they are usually 3-5ml and don't add up to much.
Capella cost to make 90ml of 20% flavor juice
18.0ml Flavor $8.28 ($0.46/ml)
21.6ml 100mg VG Nic 7.34 ($0.34/ml)
50.4ml VG 2.01 ($0.04/ml)
-------------
$17.63 ($0.19/ml) (compared to vendor 44.85 @ $0.49/ml)
This doesn't take into account experiments that fail, but they are usually 3-5ml and don't add up to much.
good list this area of the forum could use a few more stickies and a beginners guide to DIY...well guess i'll slog around and figure out what i can.
@ Pico - When experimenting, to save some moolah, I've read to not use nic juice when experimenting, but to use a 50/50 pg/vg blend with a cpl drops flavoring.
I'm in this to save as much money as I can, tired of spending 50+/cents /ml
I'm in this to save as much money as I can, tired of spending 50+/cents /ml
Price is a funny thing... If you just look at nicotine base per ml, it is dirt cheap.
But you also need Flavorings / Sweeteners, PG / VG and mixing supplies (Bottles, syringes, etc). So when you dial that it, it's not quite dirt cheap but still cheap.
Then there are the failures. Things that you mix wrong that can't be fixed. Or the juice that you just don't like. They get tossed so there goes a little more money.
In the short run, after you have a handful of recipes that work. perhaps a ballpark savings is maybe 50%. In the long run it is maybe 70%.
The Key to doing DIY is to document EVERYTHING you do. You can't just add a dash of this and a tad of that. You have to write things down and keep good records. And don't try a new mix before it has sat for at least 72 hours. Flavors tend to in the first 72 hours. After that, they are pretty much stable.
Also, start with small batches. Even if 100 people rave about a recipe, resist the urge to make 100ml of it Before you have tried a 10ml batch first.
But you also need Flavorings / Sweeteners, PG / VG and mixing supplies (Bottles, syringes, etc). So when you dial that it, it's not quite dirt cheap but still cheap.
Then there are the failures. Things that you mix wrong that can't be fixed. Or the juice that you just don't like. They get tossed so there goes a little more money.
In the short run, after you have a handful of recipes that work. perhaps a ballpark savings is maybe 50%. In the long run it is maybe 70%.
The Key to doing DIY is to document EVERYTHING you do. You can't just add a dash of this and a tad of that. You have to write things down and keep good records. And don't try a new mix before it has sat for at least 72 hours. Flavors tend to in the first 72 hours. After that, they are pretty much stable.
Also, start with small batches. Even if 100 people rave about a recipe, resist the urge to make 100ml of it Before you have tried a 10ml batch first.
Last edited:
- Status
