E Juice making cost

Whitesoxfan2579 · Jul 7, 2016

I'm considering attempting to make my own juices. I don't burn through a ton of juice so it would be a pretty small endeavor. What would it cost for a basic setup to get started, flavors, bottles, syringes, etc.? I think I'm gonna try to do 0mg nic on all my future juices so I'm hoping no nicotine would considerably reduce the cost of making my own stuff. Who can shed some light on this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Huckleberried · Jul 7, 2016

Oh wow, nic free, you'd be paying well under a dollar for 30ml.

You can get a gallon of PG and VG, each, for about $20, flavorings for about 10ml to start out and see if you like it, can run between $2-3 each, depending on brand. You can get sample sizes, usually, for under $2, that will actually last you a decent amount of time. Syringes can run about 60 cents each, or you can get a decent scale for under $20, easier clean up, but for bottles that don't come with a dropper top, you still need a few syringes. Bottles, depends on it you want plastic or glass. There are good deals on both those, too.

All in all, you can get quite a bit for $100, or less, especially since you may not be purchasing nic. If you want to spend less than that, you can still get all those things in smaller sizes, till you figure out if DIY is for you. It's addicting!

I shop Bull City Vapor, Ecigexpress, RTS Vapes, occasionally, eliquidmart, and Nicotine River has really good deals on flavorings, too. Wizard Labs has started carrying more brands of flavorings lately, and in sample sizes. Most of these places will also sell the rest of what you need, except a scale.

There are other places if you decide you'd rather buy bulk sizes.

Whitesoxfan2579 · Jul 7, 2016

I was considering using Capellas for most of the stuff, minus the scale, syringes and bottles. Anyone have experience with their products? Their prices look pretty good.

Huckleberried · Jul 7, 2016

Capella's has really expanded their selection. They are pretty good, I have several of them. Everyone has their own faves, for sure. There are a lot more options today than there were a few years ago.

Each brand has their flavors that really shine, they all have their duds, too. I supposed your flavor profile will help others to help you make choices.

Jim_MDP · Jul 7, 2016

The good thing with no nic is you don't need to be in the buying frenzy many of us are.
You can actually start small. But we'll all come to appreciate DIY when juice regs hit vendors.

If worse comes to worse, the FDA can shut down, or very severely restrict, our domestic access to liquid nic concentrate. We're the only consumer market.

But PG and VG have vast markets in a variety of segments and industries.
(I had no idea VG is given in large quantities to pregnant cows... digestive aid, I believe)

And our flavorings are made for food and candy manufacturers.
Also used by home cooks. There'll be no crackdown there.

Huckleberried · Jul 7, 2016

Jim_MDP said:
And our flavorings are made for food and candy manufacturers.
Also used by home cooks. There'll be no crackdown there.

See, that's how I feel, but the more talk I read about it, I keep seeing people say that flavorings will be factored in. I think it's bullshit, myself. It's just such a mess, it's hard to say what's right and what's wrong.

Foggz · Jul 7, 2016

Huckleberried said:
See, that's how I feel, but the more talk I read about it, I keep seeing people say that flavorings will be factored in. I think it's bullshit, myself. It's just such a mess, it's hard to say what's right and what's wrong.

they could factor in restrictions for flavorings.. even without considering nic.. they would use a mechanism similar to the anti smoking laws imposed on taverns and the like.. ie they based the allow to smoke rights on the percentage of food served... sooooo for instance.. they could impose the tax on vendors both online and off based on the percentage of 'food' stock items that they sell.. tricky huh?
never underestimate the bastards and "Don't let them bastards grind you down".

I think the bastardized latin version (yes pun intended) is something like 'non illegitimi carborundum" ;p

TiltedVape · Jul 7, 2016

Huckleberried said:
Oh wow, nic free, you'd be paying well under a dollar for 30ml.

You can get a gallon of PG and VG, each, for about $20, flavorings for about 10ml to start out and see if you like it, can run between $2-3 each, depending on brand. You can get sample sizes, usually, for under $2, that will actually last you a decent amount of time. Syringes can run about 60 cents each, or you can get a decent scale for under $20, easier clean up, but for bottles that don't come with a dropper top, you still need a few syringes. Bottles, depends on it you want plastic or glass. There are good deals on both those, too.

All in all, you can get quite a bit for $100, or less, especially since you may not be purchasing nic. If you want to spend less than that, you can still get all those things in smaller sizes, till you figure out if DIY is for you. It's addicting!

I shop Bull City Vapor, Ecigexpress, RTS Vapes, occasionally, eliquidmart, and Nicotine River has really good deals on flavorings, too. Wizard Labs has started carrying more brands of flavorings lately, and in sample sizes. Most of these places will also sell the rest of what you need, except a scale.

There are other places if you decide you'd rather buy bulk sizes.

Thank you! Needed this info!

Whitesoxfan2579 · Jul 7, 2016

Right now I'd be trying to make a chocolate/mint blend of some sort and I'm pretty partial to sweet desert types. I have cinnamon roll in my AIO and a tasty strawberry/vanilla in my Subvod. I'd really like to try a blueberry muffin and a coconut cream pie.

Foggz · Jul 7, 2016

Whitesoxfan2579 said:
Right now I'd be trying to make a chocolate/mint blend of some sort and I'm pretty partial to sweet desert types.

this is excellent imo... if you are looking for suggestions.

http://vapingunderground.com/threads/hics-girl-scout-thin-mint-cookies.1813/#post-386292

Whitesoxfan2579 · Jul 7, 2016

That definitely sounds like one to try. Any others?

FL_David · Jul 7, 2016

Whitesoxfan2579 said:
That definitely sounds like one to try. Any others?

If you add a bit more peppermint then it tastes more like an Andes candy.

You can always check out the DIY recipe section for a boat load of great tasting recipes. I go there myself to see how many hits my recipes have gotten....awww, I mean to check out what others have shared.

Since you're starting out already knowing what flavors you like, that should keep your costs way down. If making your own e-liquid becomes more then a cost cutting program and you begin to have fun mixing flavors, then you will move up to the hobby level which is a blast.

Whitesoxfan2579 said:
I'd really like to try a blueberry muffin and a coconut cream pie

You could do it the easy way and get those flavors already blended, I think Capellas makes those flavors, or you could try your hand at getting the flavors separately and making your own versions. Then you could make a blueberry cream pie or a coconut/blueberry muffin or a chocolate mint cream pie with coconut sprinkles.

If you start out with small amounts of VG/PG, a few tools and a couple of sample sized flavors you could give DIY a go for around $20-30 or so. Don't be afraid if your mixes taste odd at first, it happens to nearly everyone. Once you get the hang of it, so easy and fun.

VinceV1 · Jul 8, 2016

If you get the flavor desease, it will cost you at least 2000$ lol

Jim_MDP · Jul 8, 2016

Don't vape Disease... it'll cost you a lot more than $2000.

Whitesoxfan2579 · Jul 8, 2016

The cost is what's holding me back right at the moment. I don't want to end up spending a whole bunch of money on stuff I'll never use or don't like.

Huckleberried · Jul 8, 2016

Whitesoxfan2579 said:
The cost is what's holding me back right at the moment. I don't want to end up spending a whole bunch of money on stuff I'll never use or don't like.

How much are you wanting to spend? You can still get the supplies you need to make a couple recipes that interest you. Sample sizes of many flavorings are available. Even small bottles of nic.

Jim_MDP · Jul 8, 2016

Exactly.
I started with an order from Wizard Labs because they have (had?) 8ml flavor bottles for $1.50 each (okay... I went overboard getting 40 of them

)... but a handful of flavors; a 10ml and 20ml syringe (for moving PG & VG); a half dozen 1ml plastic pipettes (they're washable); and a half dozen 30ml plastic bottles and you just need to add small bottles of PG and VG and you're in bidness.

It's all very cheap.
Someone do the math for me.

Stock up on flavors and gear later... IF you like DIY. Easy.

Huckleberried · Jul 8, 2016

Oh... I keep forgetting, no nic factored in. Even cheaper, with that considered. I can tell ya there are few that say, "it just wasn't for me" with DIY, but more times than not, people say, "I can't believe I waited so long!".

Whitesoxfan2579 · Jul 8, 2016

I'd love to keep it at $50.00 or less. It won't be for awhile as I have about a six month supply of store and online purchased juice at home. I just kinda figured it would be fun to experiment to see if it really is for me.

Jim_MDP · Jul 8, 2016

Easy. Pop over to Wizard Labs and have a look around, we'll give you a couple days to scan through the flavor selections.

Or try another site... I suggested WL because they have a fair selection of the "lab supplies" you'll need a bit of to get started, but they're not unique.

Huckleberried · Jul 8, 2016

If you've settled on a couple recipes that you think you'd like to make, let us know and we can point you to the places that have those brands. Wizard is definitely great for samples, but they don't carry all the brands. Just depends on what you wanna make. You can definitely get away with $50

AlbyKortoona · Jul 8, 2016

There are a lot of DIY starter kits available. You'll pay a bit of a premium as opposed to shopping all the stuff separately, but it could get the ball rolling for you. Besides the cost savings, and creative energy outlet of DIY, I like the fact that I know what's in my ejuice.

Whitesoxfan2579 · Jul 8, 2016

A couple three that come to mind are: Coconut Cream Pie, Apple Pie with Caramel (& possibly cinnamon) and Peach Cobbler. I haven't really vaped any fruit flavors yet and love these three as desserts.

Huckleberried · Jul 8, 2016

Whitesoxfan2579 said:
A couple three that come to mind are: Coconut Cream Pie, Apple Pie with Caramel (& possibly cinnamon) and Peach Cobbler.

If you have your own ideas on those, that's awesome! If those are already listed recipes, just make sure wherever you do decide to shop, has those brands.

VinceV1 · Jul 8, 2016

There is a brand new Apple Caramel flavor from Flavour Art called Cocoon.

VegasVape · Jul 9, 2016

My personal experience is I mixed a little to start, as a cost saving option. Decent juices that I could vape and be satisfied with. Then I found a recipe here that blew me away (Castle Long clone, might have been at ELR). I mean best I ever vaped. Then I got the flavor disease, which is accompanied by the TRY EVERY RECIPE disease. I'm not sure which comes first, another chicken or egg conundrum. None the less, you will spend more than you intended should you find yourself in this dilemma. But it still isn't breaking my bank, just more flavors and bigger orders than I ever intended. The good news, I've had 2 stinkies this year (ex 2 pack a dayer). And they were given to me by friends who haven't quit yet. So all in all, I'm ahead. YMMV.

Whitesoxfan2579 · Jul 10, 2016

That's also another reason I haven't taken the plunge yet. I figure I will surely spend much more than I should.

VegasVape · Jul 10, 2016

Understandable. And I like your icon. Stevie was one of the greats, taken much too soon. Cheers.

lsc9x · Jul 10, 2016

About $60, give or take.

I just started this myself, but did a little digging and found out where to get the wholesale stuff.

- $11 for the PPG, USP food grade "100%" pure, 32oz bottle (about a liter) + 5 shipping off Amazon (Essential Elements Brand)
- $15 for 12mg/oz liquid nicotine, 32oz bottle, Vegetable Glycerine base off vaporworld.biz $6 shipping
- $2 plastic mixing bottle with squeeze tip from a local vape shop
- $10 for two syringes to use for measuring/mixing, one for PPG on for the vegetable glycerine (you can add more for flavors, or just "eyeball" it)
- $8 for mint extract and lemon extract from the grocery store (easy way to get started).

That's enough base to make almost 2 LITERS of vape juice if you did a 50/50 mix.

If you want to go nuts on the flavors available for you to mix, try OliveNation.com or NatruresFlavors.com. There are TONS of concentrated and natural and organic flavors available so if you are going to spend a lot of money, it will be on the flavors. They range in price from a couple of bucks for a 2oz bottle all the way up to hundreds of dollars for much larger amounts.

So assuming you did a 50/50 mix, you would end up with 6mg of nicotine per oz. I went with 2/3 VG and 1/3 PPG, (66VG/33PG) so my mixes are 9mg/oz nicotine. Just put both ingredients in a mixing bottle and shake the crap out of it to mix the two and then add flavoring (SLOWLY) to taste. Shake well again.

That's pretty much it! I think the reason you see so many e-juice brands around is because the stuff is dead simple to make. =)

In the long run, mixing yourself will save you a ton of money (as long as you don't go crazy buying flavors!)

Hope that helps!

Jim_MDP · Jul 11, 2016

First... the nic is mg per ml... about a thirtieth of an ounce.

Of more importance... take great care selecting flavoring that are not our usual brands.
There are many food grade flavorings/additives that are not suitable for inhalation.

Some may be oil based, some may include amounts of elements that are perfectly harmless when ingested, many (most?) have high levels of coloring, and "natural/organic" is meaningless in this context.

Vape safe.

lsc9x · Jul 11, 2016

Jim_MDP said:
First... the nic is mg per ml... about a thirtieth of an ounce.

Of more importance... take great care selecting flavoring that are not our usual brands.
There are many food grade flavorings/additives that are not suitable for inhalation.

Some may be oil based, some may include amounts of elements that are perfectly harmless when ingested, many (most?) have high levels of coloring, and "natural/organic" is meaningless in this context.

Vape safe.

Thanks for the info! Yes, I looked at the bottle and it is nicotine per ml, thanks for the correction!

Also, are there any flavors or types of flavoring that you know to be harmful? Are there any studies in this area?

Obviously you wouldn't want to create a peanut extract flavor if you are allergic to peanuts. Would probably kill you! lol

Jim_MDP · Jul 11, 2016

lsc9x said:
Also, are there any flavors or types of flavoring that you know to be harmful? Are there any studies in this area?

No problem.

lsc9x said:
Also, are there any flavors or types of flavoring that you know to be harmful? Are there any studies in this area?

Lets find out.

@Teresa P, can you tell us if we should be concerned about various food flavorings, and if so... why?

I'd call others, but "DIY Guru" means you and HIC to me... and HIC don't hang here anymore.

You can help there if necessary, I'm sure.
(is this using up my Sammie Rain-Check?

)

Teresa P · Jul 11, 2016

Jim_MDP said:
No problem.

Lets find out.

@Teresa P, can you tell us if we should be concerned about various food flavorings, and if so... why?

I'd call others, but "DIY Guru" means you and HIC to me... and HIC don't hang here anymore.
You can help there if necessary, I'm sure.
(is this using up my Sammie Rain-Check? )

Not, your "sammie rain check" is always good...lol!
Personally, I never use any flavoring that has "oil" in the name. That's basically common sense though. Oil in the lungs can cause lipoid pneumonia.
I prefer not to use flavoring that isn't clear. Food coloring in the lungs can't possibly be healthy. One exception is FA cocoa, which is dark in color, but FlavourArt makes their vaping line specifically for vaping. I don't believe they're going to put out anything in their vaping line that's harmful for inhalation.
There is some controversy over the Flavor West flavorings that contain sugars. We know the sugar gunks up coils, but really don't know how that may effect the lungs. Many avoid those flavors for that reason.
That's all I got for the moment....and lemme know when you wanna cash in on that sammie....lol!

Jim_MDP · Jul 11, 2016

Teresa P said:
That's all I got for the moment....and lemme know when you wanna cash in on that sammie....lol!

Thanks, I'll hold on to it... those things are worth their weight in gold.

I know your collection includes flavoring brands I'd look into before buying, just because I'd never heard of them (just seems logical)... but could you have a peek at the links lsc9x posted?

A quick look showed the first is food oriented and I stopped there.

Teresa P · Jul 11, 2016

Jim_MDP said:
Thanks, I'll hold on to it... those things are worth their weight in gold.

I know your collection includes flavoring brands I'd look into before buying, just because I'd never heard of them (just seems logical)... but could you have a peek at the links lsc9x posted?

A quick look showed the first is food oriented and I stopped there.

I'd never heard of Olive Nation till now, probably for a reason. They do have some yummy offerings, but the ingredients of most of their flavorings read "Water, propylene glycol, xanthan gum, natural and artificial flavoring.," which doesn't sound appropriate for vaping. Xanthan gum is used in food "thickeners", and according to Wiki is a polysaccharide, or form of sugar. Another common ingredient of many of their wares is alcohol and although I do have a few flavors that contain alcohol, I really don't find them to be as good for flavor as those that do not contain alcohol.
I'm assuming his other link is for Nature's Flavors, and several of us do have some of their flavors in our arsenals. One of the more popular ones from them is "The Ginger" that we used to order from Mama J's. And I'm pretty sure @HeadInClouds has a recipe in his Gumroad store that requires a carrot cake flavoring from them (but don't quote me, as that's one of the few I don't have).
I'm all for trying new things, but in all honesty the flavorings discussed in our forum are pretty much the ones I stick with because they've been proven to serve our purpose safely and/or are researched by seasoned forum members who are looking out for our safety. I trust that and am really more of a "go with what you know" type of mixer when it comes to my lungs.

Jim_MDP · Jul 11, 2016

Thank you, great points.

I hate to be a Nervous Nellie, but as you say... they're my lungs.
I'm trying to help them.

Teresa P · Jul 11, 2016

Jim_MDP said:
... they're my lungs.
I'm trying to help them.

My thoughts exactly. We're here collectively because most of us have quit smoking, so it would be a shame to throw caution to the wind with our juice content. I'm not a stickler for avoiding diacetyl and such - I do love my creams and custards - and most of the "popcorn lung" hype has proven to be just that - hype. But there are certain things that just don't belong in my lungs and I know they'd likely be harmful, so I personally avoid them.

RonJS · Jul 11, 2016

Teresa P said:
...most of their flavorings read "Water, propylene glycol, xanthan gum, ...

I remember Huckleberried saying No to gum in post #4 in the ...

USING FOOD FLAVORINGS
http://vapingunderground.com/threads/using-food-flavorings.101424/

...thread a while back. Makes sense to me.

Ron
---
"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."-Hedley Lamarr

Whitesoxfan2579 · Jul 14, 2016

Well, it looks like my DIY juice days will be on hold for a while yet. I just got a notice from Medicare that my Part B premium which is due in a little over a week will be almost $500. Bye bye disposable income. Thank you Medicare. They told me it would be a 3 month billing and it turned out to be a 4 month billing. :-(

FL_David · Jul 25, 2016

Whitesoxfan2579 said:
Well, it looks like my DIY juice days will be on hold for a while yet

What a bummer.
When the shock is over, you might want to think how much money you spend for store bought e-liquid vs the long term cost of making your own.
A really low budget way to get a feel for DIY is to add tiny amounts of flavorings to your store bought e-liquids. You do run the risk of ruining a good flavored juice, or making even better. Where is the fun if no risk is involved?

I took a quick look at Wizard Labs to find out how much a very basic starter set up would cost.
1 120ml VG
1 120ml PG
2 10ml Luer Lock Syringes ( you could save .20 and get the 5ml size if you are making 10ml mixes at a time).
2 14ga Blunt Tip Luer-Lock Needles (I found 12ga ones on Amazon which really helps with the VG).
10 3 mL Disposable Pipettes (I like the 3ml as they are easier to clean and reuse).
Total without shipping is $10.36
Add however many flavors you want at $1.49 each. This is also without nicotine Personally I like 100mg strength even though I vape at 2-3mg. I don't know what your nic level is, but I wouldn't buy lower then 48mg as you would be out rather quickly. You would also want another syringe and needle just for the nicotine. A 3 or 5ml size would be good. I find that having a different size syringe then what I use for PG/VG is safer, even though I have them clearly labeled.
You can clean your store bought e-liquid bottles and use those, or you could get new ones for around .50 each for plastic. Glass is better, of course, but I only use plastic as I tend to be clumsy.

If DIY isn't for you, nothing is wasted. VG can be used on your skin or added to soaps, I think PG can be used as a disinfectant or added to one, flavors can be used in food and drinks or even added to candles. Mix the PG with the nicotine to spray bugs away from pets and any kids. One could use the syringes to add cream filling to boring donuts or smoke flavoring to meats. Pipettes for making Jello shots, I guess.

Larger quantities of anything usually equals to a lower price by volume, but when you're first starting out on a budget, lower cost is the key factor.Shipping is another thing to think about. I would get everything at one place and be done with it. I was Mr. Get-The-Lowest-Price-On-Everything by shopping around. I had flavors but no base to mix with. Then the nic was delayed and I was running out of store bought juice. I was at the 18-24mg level at that time so I was freaking out.
I still use the same stuff listed above to this day as I like to save my money for flavor sales. I only mix for myself and I'm easy to please and if a mix is a bit off, I'll fix it in post.

ThatFrigginBlondeGirl · Jul 30, 2016

Whitesoxfan2579 said:
I'm considering attempting to make my own juices. I don't burn through a ton of juice so it would be a pretty small endeavor. What would it cost for a basic setup to get started, flavors, bottles, syringes, etc.? I think I'm gonna try to do 0mg nic on all my future juices so I'm hoping no nicotine would considerably reduce the cost of making my own stuff. Who can shed some light on this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ok, so glad I found this! The hubbz and I just made our first DIY setup order this weekend (we still have bottles to buy though) and I wanted to post what we spent just to put it out there.
500ml each of PG and VG :$15.99
100mg Nicotine (125 ml): $16.99
Flavors (33 total) from Bull City: $70.89
Scale (Ebay): $12 (he didn't tell me exact price)

Now, I think as far as our first purchase we went overboard on flavoring but he wanted specific flavors for recipes so we just went with it. Now, compared to the $65.00 I usually spend every few weeks to get our premium shipped I think this was a good investment. Visit Liquid Barn and Bull City Vapor online to get a better idea on pricing for your needs specifically. This is just what WE paid, I am sure there are cheaper options out there as well.

Jim_MDP · Jul 30, 2016

ThatFrigginBlondeGirl said:
Now, I think as far as our first purchase we went overboard on flavoring but he wanted specific flavors for recipes so we just went with it. Now, compared to the $65.00 I usually spend every few weeks to get our premium shipped I think this was a good investment. Visit Liquid Barn and Bull City Vapor online to get a better idea on pricing for your needs specifically. This is just what WE paid, I am sure there are cheaper options out there as well.

It's easy to go overboard on flavors with the first order or two.
I started with Wizard Labs and bought 40 of the TFA & Capp 8ml bottles.
Like "Lay's" chips... at $1.50 each, it's hard to stop tossin' them in the cart.

And finding better value later shouldn't be a negative.
We don't usually try something new by buying in bulk.

Keep your early expectations reasonable ("premium" recipes frequently have a number of accent notes you may not be aware of) and you'll both be enjoying the learning as much as the consuming. Like cooking should be.

ThatFrigginBlondeGirl · Jul 30, 2016

I am pretty ok with simple flavors. For me personally if I wanted to replicate something it would be Crack Pie. I plan on still getting my Premium on every once in a while. We are stockpiling really. Regulations and all.

Slaked · Jul 31, 2016

VegasVape said:
My personal experience is I mixed a little to start, as a cost saving option. Decent juices that I could vape and be satisfied with. Then I found a recipe here that blew me away (Castle Long clone, might have been at ELR). I mean best I ever vaped. Then I got the flavor disease, which is accompanied by the TRY EVERY RECIPE disease. I'm not sure which comes first, another chicken or egg conundrum. None the less, you will spend more than you intended should you find yourself in this dilemma. But it still isn't breaking my bank, just more flavors and bigger orders than I ever intended. The good news, I've had 2 stinkies this year (ex 2 pack a dayer). And they were given to me by friends who haven't quit yet. So all in all, I'm ahead. YMMV.

Do you happen to have that CL clone recipe handy. It was the reason I got into DYI but never really accomplished what I was looking for. I tried ten or so variants, most never hit the mark or just ended up being muddy in flavor.

I am willing to try it again, is you want to share.

Ms. Trixy · Aug 1, 2016

Whitesoxfan2579 said:
Well, it looks like my DIY juice days will be on hold for a while yet. I just got a notice from Medicare that my Part B premium which is due in a little over a week will be almost $500. Bye bye disposable income. Thank you Medicare. They told me it would be a 3 month billing and it turned out to be a 4 month billing. :-(

I feel your pain, Whitey. I just got a notice the my Blue Cross (grandfathered plan) is going up from $787.00 to $983.00 a month. I know, it's absurdly high. But I'm fully covered - everything. I pay nada. If (God forbid) I had cancer, I'm covered.

Ms. Trixy · Aug 1, 2016

Question: Is it better to get all pg if I'm going to freeze my nic? I was thinking of getting pharmaceutical grade 100% with no additives. 4 liters. I'm a high vg user and thought I'd get 4-5 liters of vg and 3-4 liters of pg. I have a 2nd frig and would use it and line the shelves with cardboard and cover the amber bottles after I break it down with a brown towels. Same with the pg and either put the vg in the frig or freeze it although it really doesn't freeze.

Jim_MDP · Aug 1, 2016

Trixy said:
Question: Is it better to get all pg if I'm going to freeze my nic? I was thinking of getting pharmaceutical grade 100% with no additives. 4 liters. I'm a high vg user and thought I'd get 4-5 liters of vg and 3-4 liters of pg. I have a 2nd frig and would use it and line the shelves with cardboard and cover the amber bottles after I break it down with a brown towels. Same with the pg and either put the vg in the frig or freeze it although it really doesn't freeze.

Do you mean 100% Nic (Pure) ?
Even I wont dick around with "freebase" nic... and I debated getting 400mg/ml just to save freezer space. Decided against it... need better ventilation. Really.

For Nic storage, I think the idea is that VG is denser therefore more inert or less "active" (molecularly) at lower temps, but it depends on what PG/VG end ratio you favor that would determine which to choose (the difference is probably fairly minimal).
Like you, I go higher VG, and so is my nic. It's just easier (except pulling a syringe full

).
It can be a deal breaker to have the wrong carrier, though that's probably more an issue with outlier percentages or perhaps EU limits (72mg/ml IIRC).

For PG/VG... store it cool and dark.
The "USP" requirements are I believe (for our purposes) more to do with handling than with production (aka "pharmaceutical").

Ms. Trixy · Aug 1, 2016

Thanks for the info. I'm worried about storing nic w/vg in the freezer. Maybe the solution of nic and vg would go bad. So, I'm thinking if I get pg in the nic, the vg I store in the frig could get to room temp and I can use it. Hmmm...I guess the pg with the nic would be minimal and I can still have a high vg ratio. Is that correct? I just downloaded a program that helps me mix with flavor. Ejuicemeup.zip Google it to download. Pretty good program!

Jim_MDP · Aug 1, 2016

Trixy said:
Thanks for the info. I'm worried about storing nic w/vg in the freezer. Maybe the solution of nic and vg would go bad. So, I'm thinking if I get pg in the nic, the vg I store in the frig could get to room temp and I can use it. Hmmm...I guess the pg with the nic would be minimal and I can still have a high vg ratio. Is that correct? I just downloaded a program that helps me mix with flavor. Ejuicemeup.zip Google it to download. Pretty good program!

I'm not sure I understand the concern either way.

Let's try this...

Our normal 'high' concentration nic is 100mg/ml... that's 10%.
The rest has to be some carrier... your choice is PG or VG.

For myself, I need a bit less than 250ml @ 100mg/ml PER YEAR.

Even if I don't break it down that far, I'd only have to warm and cut out a portion every 6/9/12 months for any given nic container. not frequent enough to care about exposure.
If you have Liters though (I don't) planning will pay off.

I use VG Nic so I don't have to care about bumping up against any limits were I to have a particularly highly flavored recipe (my flavors are all PG). But it's really an un-anticipated occurrence... unless I were to go "Max-VG". High PG Vapers would prefer having PG Nic.

On the other hand... bulk PG and VG are essentially "inert".
They don't require "cold storage" like nicotine ie: in the fridge... just "cool and dark".
A cabinet not exposed to heat will do fine.

freemind · Aug 1, 2016

Trixy said:
Thanks for the info. I'm worried about storing nic w/vg in the freezer. Maybe the solution of nic and vg would go bad. So, I'm thinking if I get pg in the nic, the vg I store in the frig could get to room temp and I can use it. Hmmm...I guess the pg with the nic would be minimal and I can still have a high vg ratio. Is that correct? I just downloaded a program that helps me mix with flavor. Ejuicemeup.zip Google it to download. Pretty good program!

It takes a very, very long time for nic bases to go "bad" in a freezer.

Personally, I use high VG juices. I have bought all PG, all VG and 50/50 vg/pg.

All my future nic will be based in PG only as I keep my nic in the freezer until the minute I use it. It's much easier to pull cold nic based in PG, rather than any content of VG. You HAVE to warm up any nic based with VG and IMO, you risk oxidizing the nic that way.

I have no worries of the nic going bad on me.

My two cents.

E Juice making cost

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