What's the point in DIY?

[WannaGetHealthy]

I don't have, and probably never will have, a chest full of stuff that's just sitting there. I use what I buy/buy only what I'll use.

I think I CAN speak for everyone when I say that none of us ever intended to have a chest load of this stuff when we started....it just sort of grows on it's own. I swear that some of my flavoring have mated and had offspring 'cause I have no idea where some of these vials came from. Hmmmmmmm.....flavor breeding.

On the real though, if you are gonna do it, give the poorman's guide a read through as well as mine. Too bad the video's I learned from aren't available anymore.

 

[mgordon1100]

OK, thank you everyone, for all the non sarcastic input. I'll have to shop around, I guess. I'd like a place that sells everything that I'll need, because I don't want to pay double or triple shipping cost. That's why I went where I went. It's all in the name.

 

[Olef]

My post clearly states that I based my prices on One Stop DIY Shop. That's a supplier online. Exactly the way I typed it. The point in buying premade stuff is it's less of a hassle for a minimal savings that I calculated. If it cost me 15 bucks for a 30ml bottle, then you're telling me that I should only pay 1.50 for it. Also, I mentioned that it WOULD be worth it if it cost me 2 bucks or less. So, point me in the direction. That's why I asked.

You seem to be unhappy with the answer I gave, judging by the bluntness of your post. I was attempting to answer your question and be helpful. Guess I failed.

 

[440BB]

Here's my breakdown, all prices current at Goodprophets, and are shipped free as part of a $30 order:

Flavoring - 30ml @ $4.99
PG - 120ml @ $4.99
VG - 120ml @ $4.99
PG 36mg nic - 120ml @ $11.99

Bottles - on eBay - $10.84/20 shipped

I make 30ml, 80/20 pg/vg with about 15% flavoring and 18mg nic. At these prices, that works out to about $2.75/30ml liquid, plus the bottle. We refill bottles repeatedly, but to compare apples to apples, adding the bottle @ $.55 makes this $3.30/30ml bottle.

$.11/ml and it could be better if I buy bigger quantities. $.092/ml to refill.

Our preferred premixed juices run $.45 -.60/ml. Saving about $10 per 30ml bottle minimum.

Like anything else in the ecig world, hunting down the best vendors for price and quality is part of the process. For example, Gourmet Vapor Nic Juice is available at 48mg for even less on sale right now.

If you don't enjoy a little tinkering, or don't care about the cost, then you shouldn't DIY. I expect most people can't be bothered, as many companies are also successful picking up dog droppings for those who can't be bothered.

Just sayin'. No brag just fact.

 

[CUOFFRDGA]

I'd like to dabble into mixing my own.
My question is...
What makes some vendors juice thicker and clog the Cartos faster than other vendors?
I can get the same 50/50 or 30/70 ratio mix from two different vendors. The ones that look like colored water are very easy on the Cartos, the ones that you can't hardly see through seem to be much harder on Cartos. Is it in the Nic, PG, VG or from the flavoring?

 

[Vermonster13]

Flavorings add the color. Darker juices tend to clog quicker IMO.

 

[wdave]

So, I just did a quick calculation (maybe not too quick), on how much it would cost me for a 30ml bottle of a single flavored juice. I did it based on prices at One Stop DIY Shop, excluding costs as shipping, and working materials. Only used the costs of the ingredients and container. Therefore, the price just goes up from here, as I used prices for the largest quantity liquids you can buy.

My finding was the cost of this bottle, minus expenses, is about 7 and a half to 8 bucks. I figure you can buy a 30 ml bottle for 2 to 7 bucks more. With the DIY method, you have all the extras to figure in, and you have to calculate how much more of what liquids you need to buy to balance everything for optimum value.

This seems like a lot of trouble to me, at not that much of a lower cost. I can see it if you paid only a couple of dollars or less per 30 ml bottle, but it's quite a bit higher. Can anyone here rationalize this for me?

If I were a DIY, it would be because I wanted pure nicotine and pure PG in my juice. It would likely be more expensive than off-the-shelf juice. Ahhh...if only had the time

 

[CUOFFRDGA]

Flavorings add the color. Darker juices tend to clog quicker IMO.

But what adds thickness that makes it hard to see through?
I've got some dark juice that I cam see through that isn't hard on Cartos and I've got dark and light juice that is thick that I can't see through that us hard on em.

 

[Xaria]

I personally stalk the DIY forum daily and we all keep each other up on who is doing sales on nic, flavorings, pg, and vg. I get a slight reaction to many flavors, so I just DIY my own unflavored. I see the OPs point. If, I was starting and looking at the prices, I would think, ok..this is not really good deal. My advice to anyone reading the thread and wanting to do DIY, look for sales and stock up when sales are going on. Nicotine sits in my freezer with my garden goodies

 

[wdave]

But what adds thickness that makes it hard to see through?
I've got some dark juice that I cam see through that isn't hard on Cartos and I've got dark and light juice that is thick that I can't see through that us hard on em.

Probably natural ingredients. I heard they are actually putting pulp in orange-flavored juice these days

 

[carpedebass]

It never ceases to amaze me when people post questions, then complain about the answers given. To me, honestly speaking, if people want to take time out of their day to post answers, the least we could do is be thankful for the answer...not complain about it in a rude fashion.

Since that's out of the way...I'll posy my findings on DIY. I have a simple taste...menthol. I vape it or unflavored nic almost exclusively. Both require simple ingredients and mixing. The absolute least expensive place I've found to purchase ejuice is Rockstar Vapors. Figure $25 for 5 15 ml bottles of juice shipped. That 5 bottles equals 75 mls of juice. That 75 mls of juice wouldn't even quite make it through 2 weeks of normal vaping for me.

I spent less than $10 on 60 mg/ml nic in PG, then another $5 for PG...both at RTS. Figure another $5 for shipping. That's $20 for the nic and PG. Then I bought a bottle of VG at WM for about $4. Total spent to this point is $24. Then I bought a bottle of menthol flavoring liquid and Koolada at Perfumer's Apprentice for another $7 shipped. Total is now $31. I re-used old bottles for my juice, so no cost in bottles there. A couple of small plastic cups for mixing can be found at any dollar store for $1...cost is now $32. Buy a couple of syringes at your local drug store for a couple of bucks...total is $34.

That $34 worth of DIY materials has lasted me well over a month and a half now. Likely will last at least another couple of weeks. So figure a minimum of two months of juice for $34 vs $100 for two months at the least expensive online juice store I've found. Of course your costs will vary depending upon your juice consumption. I figure I save even more money because my juices are clear and do not have flavoring sediment or sweeteners to gunk up cartos, so I get longer life from them.

That's my real world example of saving serious money by DIY. If that doesn't answer your question, I do apologize.

 

[markfm]

Been doing DIY over a year now. My running cost, using some fairly pricey flavorings, at high %, and including the S&H for everything, is around $4 per 30 ml 24 mg. If it's a flavoring that I bought in bulk, it gets to about $3. For 0 nic, it's $2.

(When I first started out I was running at $4.50, before I switched nic source.)

My time is free, since I enjoy doing it and my all-day vape is something I make 60 ml at a time, about 5 minutes total including cleanup. Bulk is actually easier, since I just use a couple of 15ml graduated beakers, and I'm not going to sweat that my measurements are +/- a fraction of an ml.


That said, I really appreciate the good vendors on ECF. If someone lacks the time/energy/knack for DIY, or just doesn't like to deal with higher concentration nic base, $12 - $15 for 30ml of a good eliquid is still a lot cheaper than smoking, at a typical consumption of a couple ml/day.

 

[kabonk]

I didn't read through this whole thread sorry I probably should have before I put in my 2 cents but I get a gallon of VG for $14.99, I got 500ml nic from the last box elder sale for 48.00, flavoring cost about 6.00 for 30ml depending on where you buy it. I mix at 8mg so according to this calculator in the link which breaks down the cost it cost me $1.23 for a 30ml bottle considering that most vendors charge anywhere from 12-28 bucks for a 30ml bottle of e-juice I think the saving with DIY is a no brainer and besides the more you DIY the better your DIY gets it like cooking it takes time to get good at it and pretty soon your DIY is better then anything you could buy
E-Liquid Recipe Mixing Calculator With PG/VG Percent Adjusting

 

[Hoosier]

I didn't see my answer in this thread, so I'll throw it in here.

I don't really save money, and that's not my reason to DIY. I experiment quite a bit with flavorings and I chuck quite a few batches that would taste better if I vaped distilled gym sock sweat. That really doesn't bug me because the experiment is fun, but I also come up with great tastes. That is why I do it.

I DIY because mine is better than anything I can purchase. It is customized to my exact taste.

By the time I calculate in everything I've spent on supplies, flavorings!, and the stuff I've run down the drain, I'd be ahead just buying it, but I wouldn't be as happy with my vape.

I'm better at cooking and inventing new recipes than I am at mixing juice, but I get closer every month. Folks love to get an invite from me to sample a new dish and help me come up with a name for it. I enjoy the process. It's fun and tastey, and as a bonus, it fits my diet.

DIY is NOT for everyone. I've read the posts by folks who really try, but never get what they want out of it. I also read folks who stumble into the perfect mix on the first try.

If one has simple tastes, like menthol as an example, the DIY is pretty simple and good for the wallet. If you need something a bit more complex, like a perfect cherry or a tobacco mix, then it can be frustrating without the right mind set, and hard on the wallet.

Thankfully each of us can make that choice for ourselves at this point in time.

 

[Pamdane]

Ok, here I go: My neighbor and I both DIY, so we split shipping, WHEN we cant get it free. In Deals and Steals thread you will find a supplier that offers 2 gallons of PG &/or VG at $48 shipped free. Then Good Prophets has TPA sales at $3.99 for 30ml. We get enough to get free shipping, but even so, shipping is only $3 when we buy just a few bottles. Then the supplies: shot glasses for mixing- who DOESNT have these? There are some sold at Wally world for $1 that are graduated. I asked my pharmacist for a 10ml syringe for the kids- free. I reuse my bottles, but even so, they are only about $2.50 for 6 20ml at all the local craft stores. My nic comes from RTS. At 500 ml for 60mg on sale its $43. plus $11 shipping, but we split that. I make my DIY for LESS THAN $1 for 30ml! So, if its about the convenience, go with premade. If its about price, then you HAVE to shop around!
Oh, the cheapest way to get 5/6 ml bottles is to wait til honeyville runs a sale, get as much of everything you can, either vape it or pour it out, reuse the bottle. Personally, I like their mint on menthol and watermelon, so its a good deal for me. And I get DIY bottles out of it. There is also a DIY swap thread. So save up your stuff and post what you have and what you want!

 

[TomCatt]

RTS seems to have the best prices for nic. Flavor Apprentice (Perfumers Apprentice) has excellent flavorings and good prices; also have empty bottles and pipettes. You can order 4mL of flavorings for $1.40 each to try the flavorings out. Most pharmacies sell syringes (although you may have to ask for them at the pharmacists counter).

 

[Stownz]

When your actually saving money with e-cigs, it just puts you that much farther away from the temptation of cigs. Every step away from teh coffin nails is a good step.

 

[Iffy]

Bragging does me no good.

OK, thank you everyone, for all the non sarcastic input. .

Please spare us...

But, for the sake of sharing with the unbiased interested, the following is my actual cost for joose components. And yes, I could have saved even more. But since I was just starting DIY, I paid for smaller lots and convenience.

Cost per millimeter

60/40 PG/VG $ .10
60mg Nic 60/40 $ .09
Flavor $ .32

My DIY Iffy's Peach, that's my main vape, cost me $3.83 for 30ml. I was paying $15 at a popular vendor's site. Even at a 50% discount plus shipping, my DIY cost is less than half!

Not bragging... just sharing!

 

[markfm]

Whoops, missed the question of "where".
For nic base I use voidmist, all the time, as well as their menthol liquid concentrate; on nic base I always convert to how many mg/$ I'm getting (unit pricing). For tobacco I use tobacco blend alc and tobacco absolute diluted from The Perfumers Apprentice; note that their tobacco blend alc is actually cheaper at 15 ml than 30 (no clue why). My other tobacco base is Seedman Commercial cigarette concentrate, from Seedman. Other flavorings I buy direct from Natures Flavors, their coffee and tea flavoring system, in the organics area -- they are pricey, but I'm very happy with the quality, buy them 2 ounces at a time (4 for my all-day vape); either TPA or Capellas also has good flavorings, at better prices, but I do some mixing for people with PG sensitivities (conversely I have some TPA and Capellas just for people with severe VG sensitivity).

 

[rosesense]

But what adds thickness that makes it hard to see through?
I've got some dark juice that I cam see through that isn't hard on Cartos and I've got dark and light juice that is thick that I can't see through that us hard on em.

Depends on how much distilled water is used to thin the liquid as well as the ratio of PG to VG. I have bough 100% VG liquids that I couldn't get out of the bottle until I thinned it with distilled water and I have bought some from other vendors that was 100% VG but thinned so no problem getting it to drip.