Great reasons to DIY

[HeadInClouds]

Hey fellow-DIY'ers, who can add to the list of reasons we DIY our own liquids? I started for the cost savings, but I've found so many other advantages to mixing my own:

* No waiting for juice vapemail! When you crave a certain flavor, you can be vaping it in minutes.

* It's cheaper than buying vendor liquids (unless you start off collecting hundreds of flavorings, and even then you will eventually come out ahead)

* You can make flavors that vendors don't sell, anything that suits you (ginger-orange cheesecake, anyone?)

* You know what's in the liquid you're vaping (assuming you use flavor brands that disclose that info)

* You can mix any ratio of VG/PG at any nic strength.

* You can make flavors as strong or weak as you want.

* My favorite: with good supplies and recipes, you can make tastier liquids than any vendor - totally customized to your preferences.

* If flavored ecig liquids are eventually banned, you'll still be able to buy PG, VG, and food flavorings to DIY.

* You just get a great sense of accomplishment vaping your own creations!

What can you add to the list? Why do you DIY?

 

[Kevin2112]

Hey fellow-DIY'ers, who can add to the list of reasons we DIY our own liquids? I started for the cost savings, but I've found so many other advantages to mixing my own:

* No waiting for juice vapemail! When you crave a certain flavor, you can be vaping it in minutes.

* It's cheaper than buying vendor liquids (unless you start off collecting hundreds of flavorings, and even then you will eventually come out ahead)

* You can make flavors that vendors don't sell, anything that suits you (ginger-orange cheesecake, anyone?)

* You know what's in the liquid you're vaping (assuming you use flavor brands that disclose that info)

* You can mix any ratio of VG/PG at any nic strength.

* You can make flavors as strong or weak as you want.

* My favorite: with good supplies and recipes, you can make tastier liquids than any vendor - totally customized to your preferences.

* If flavored ecig liquids are eventually banned, you'll still be able to buy PG, VG, and food flavorings to DIY.

* You just get a great sense of accomplishment vaping your own creations!

What can you add to the list? Why do you DIY?

You covered it all but I didn't see that you can also control the level of nicotine

 

[Ace]

There have been quite a few flavors that i thought "this is good but if it had a little <insert flavor> it would be great". So I guess modifying someone else's juice.

Although I have yet to make one from scratch that is better than ok.

 

[M5amhan]

* If flavored ecig liquids are eventually banned, you'll still be able to buy PG, VG, and food flavorings to DIY.

that is a pretty huge reason imo.. even if they drop the worst case scenario on us, we can still make our own

 

[HeadInClouds]

There have been quite a few flavors that i thought "this is good but if it had a little <insert flavor> it would be great". So I guess modifying someone else's juice.

Although I have yet to make one from scratch that is better than ok.

Aww - that's sad to hear! If you want to make some you really enjoy, tell us about what you like to vape, and let's see if we can fix that. There's nothing I like better than getting others hooked on DIY

 

[Ace]

I haven't given up. I just need to find the right flavors and ratios. Oh and not getting distr... SQUIRREL! !!

 

[Slots]

It tests my "culinary" skills, and it's just plain FUN
Seems I always have a line-up of new recipes to try, and I just can't vape fast enough

 

[LadyRed69]

it keeps me and mine, happy., busy, never a dull moment, french fried onion rings anyone?

 

[M5amhan]

It tests my "culinary" skills, and it's just plain FUN
Seems I always have a line-up of new recipes to try, and I just can't vape fast enough

lol time to start making 5ml bottles

 

[Calcilculcelcol]

I Feel like a chef and can try so many flavor

 

[buffaloguy]

I love the look on other vapers faces when they tell me they paid $8.99 for 10ml of juice and I tell them I can make the same thing, bottle cost included, for around $0.23.

Usually their jaw just drops and they cant believe the shops make so much profit on juice. It really opens their eyes and the look I get is priceless.

 

[Jcc2k]

I must say... After looking over these recipes and seeing all of your guys passion with DIY, I have decided to make the plunge. I ordered a kit and some flavors to try out. My wife already thinks I am nuts with building coils and all.. wait till she sees this stuff... lol

Thanks for the inspiration.

 

[LadyRed69]

Oh crap! We made another Juice Junkie!

I love the look on other vapers faces when they tell me they paid $8.99 for 10ml of juice and I tell them I can make the same thing, bottle cost included, for around $0.23.

Usually their jaw just drops and they cant believe the shops make so much profit on juice. It really opens their eyes and the look I get is priceless.

Lucky!

8 flavors and additives for me, 10ml bottle not included, the cheapest I get is 1.00

but I do not do bulk often.

 

[buffaloguy]

The only thing I dont do bulk is flavorings, usually. A few favorites I try to buy in bulk tho. I have made the switch to all glass bottles along time back but I still have tons of plastic dropper bottles I bought when I first started mixing from US Plastic Supply. I think they came out to like $0.03 a piece when I bought them. I use those when I make juice for friends. I dont give away my glass bottles.

I have way too much stuff tho. So much so that Ive spent very little in the last 6 months on DIY. Maybe spent a total of $30 in flavorings in the last 6 months. Ive cut back my nic alot too. From 21mg to 8mg over the past year and a half so I save even more money there too. I drop down 2mg/ml every couple months.

 

[EthelMaltol]

Great thread! I love that you can cut your nic level anytime and can even reduce by increments of one! I have fun playing around with flavorings and the cost savings are tremendous! If a friend likes your juice, it is simple to mix some up at any strength. Plus, you know what is in the juice!

 

[skagit]

HIC's Sunrise Smoothie is in a tank 24/7

 

[HeadInClouds]

lol time to start making 5ml bottles

True, that. You have no idea how many 3ml bottles I use. Not that they're full - I often use them for 1.5ml batches. How else could I possibly vape so many flavors with larger batches, given that I vape under 5 ml per day.

 

[skagit]

I like that I can make 100% VG minus the small amount of PG in FA flavor. Knowing what is really in my juices is a good thing.
There seems to be a lot of hidden things in store bought. "their secret".

 

[Slots]

lol time to start making 5ml bottles

Haa... I only make 2ml of each now

 

[buffaloguy]

Oh I go big. I make 60 to 120 ml at a time of my regular daily vapes because I have them dialed in and enjoy how they develop over time. Mostly tobaccos for me. Smaller sizes I keep as testers or for fruit and dessert vapes I dont use much. I only sit down to mix maybe once every couple months now unless I am just playing around with a recipe which I tend to do alot. 1 and 2 dram vials are great for that.

 

[Slots]

Oh I go big. I make 60 to 120 ml at a time of my regular daily vapes because I have them dialed in and enjoy how they develop over time.

Somehow I ended up with over 480 bottles of flavoring.... don't ask .
I'm still in the process of testing each one to get the "feel" of it, ..good, bad, strong, weak, sweet, or just plain yuk.
I don't have an ADV, but I do have some recipes that I have tweaked, tested, tweaked, etc until they were good enough to go into the "keeper" file, (for later)
I have been doing this for over a year, and I think I still have some time to go before the testing is done
I have at least 8 mods with different flavors in each scattered throughout the house, and I love the variety that DIY provides.
There are so many that I like, that I could never make 60-120ml of just one, and finish it.
Then there's the ones I haven't tried yet ..
I'm with you on staying ahead of myself in mixing.
All of my mixes are over a month old before I get around to them ...
When I get started on the ones from the last month ..I make more and different ones for next month.
I'd be bored to death if I couldn't DIY ..testing, changing, adding, diluting .. all the time experimenting in the "lab"
Buy juice ??? you've got to be kidding ..
I still have a bunch of leftover store bought, ..somewhere ?? (WELL steeped)

 

[Scuba-Matt]

Wow thats a lot of bottles of flavoring. I have about 60 different flavors and thought that was a lot.

 

[Slots]

Wow thats a lot of bottles of flavoring. I have about 60 different flavors and thought that was a lot.

Yeah, it's kinda ridiculous.
Taste buds are shot after 56 years of smoking, and I couldn't taste most of them.
So, I ending up buying the same flavor from everyone, trying to find one I could taste.
I ended up with 5-6 caramels 5-6 cheesecakes, a dozen blueberries etc etc.
BTY, I finally found a caramel, and FA Bilberry is a fantastic "blueberry.
So that's how I ended up with so many, and a lot of them were a waste of $$$, but that's the only way I could find what worked for me.
Anyway, flavorings were cheaper than buying pre-mixed juices, so I saved a lot of money ..just had to mix it myself.
It's been a fun (and on-going) trip, and I've developed a "best of the best" list for my own tastes.

 

[AmandaD]

Slots - someone who smoked longer than I did - finally LOL I sold off most of my TFA/Cap flavorings once I discovered FA - not that they were all bad, just that most of the FA ones suited my tastebuds better. If I hadn't done that I shudder to think how many DIY bottles I would have...

 

[M5amhan]

Slots - someone who smoked longer than I did - finally LOL I sold off most of my TFA/Cap flavorings once I discovered FA - not that they were all bad, just that most of the FA ones suited my tastebuds better. If I hadn't done that I shudder to think how many DIY bottles I would have...

are you referring to flavour art that you like?

 

[AmandaD]

Yes - I'm totally addicted to Flavor Art!

 

[misswish]

I was very lucky - I was doing my research about flavor companies and DIY and found a thread about FA. I didn't have to buy bunches of flavors from all over to find good ones. There were generous people there that shared info and experience and recipes. I am very grateful to them and hope to pass it on whenever I can.

 

[ClaireW]

It tests my "culinary" skills, and it's just plain FUN
Seems I always have a line-up of new recipes to try, and I just can't vape fast enough

I'm with you slots. For me It brings back memories of mixing drinks. And then I can pretend I'm on an episode of cake boss when I mix dessert flavors. ;-)

I go into a local B&M -- I fondle hardware and Never taste juice. I will see what's on The menu and smell a few.

I have a private folder on pinterest mainly drinks recipes that I use to inspire vape recipes


vaping one day at a time

 

[Slots]

I go into a local B&M -- I fondle hardware and Never taste juice.

I have to laugh.
We finally got a vape shop in my little town, and when I visited it, they had to tastes the 4 mods I had with me.
""Have you ever thought about making juice to sell, this is really good"" ..they asked
I thought about the lawsuits that would open me up too, and politely declined, although I did mix some up for their personal use at their nic level ..just to be nice.

 

[flowerpots]

I started DIY because 99% of the vendor juices I have tried were disappointing or unsatisfying. I always wanted to say, "Couldn't you have added a little more of this" or "Why did you have to have to include THAT ingredient" or "This juice would be really good with so-and-so in it"

 

[Emilie]

My two reasons: Pocket Book and Harm Reduction. A person can DIY for a fraction of the cost of premixed juices, and I want to know that I'm not putting known harmful chemicals in my body. I just got off of analogs, I don't want to replace them with something potentially just as dangerous.

 

[tick22]

aw, more info, remember Flavor Arts, and lots of more good reasons to start.
thanks all, I will be on the journey within a month...

Slots you got me by about 3 or 4 years with smoking.
The taste buds are shot, that is for sure....

 

[Hermit]

Had such a poor hit rate with pre-mixed juices that it was a crazy waste of money! I think I only actually finished 2 or 3 bottles (10ml) out of dozens. I'm even more confused now as to how so many can be so bad, seeing as there's so many good flavourings available. In contrast, over 80% of the flavourings I've bought will be useful, and a good number of those are tasty vapes either solo or in simple duos or trios. The hit rate is so good that it doesn't bother me to buy something I'm pretty sure I won't like, just be certain.

Another plus for me is the lack of additives or 'signature notes'. I don't like menthol, kool, etc, I don't think every tobacco mix requires caramel, licorice, etc, I don't necessarily want a 'full mouth feel' or to bother with flavours that require 'smooth'ing out. I'd rather just taste the flavours and have some distance between the juices in my tanks.

 

[Slots]

a good number of those are tasty vapes either solo.

Boy you got that right ...so why "buy".
I have about 15 solo flavors that I love, and I can mix the percentage of flavoring that hits my "sweet spot", not try to guess how many "extra shots" it will need.
I also can "mix', tweak, and mix again, until I get the blend of flavors I want .. you can't buy that
I also have about 10 tobacco flavors that are soft, mild, and just plain good solo, and mixed.. nothing like burning paper and dead leaves.

 

[Laughmore]

Cheaper - when I started in 2012, my napkin math said I was spending about $0.11/ml for DIY, and I've found cheaper (still safe) sources for my base since then. Also since then, the price of flavoring has eclipsed the nic, since prices have generally gone down for nic (and so has my dose %). SOMETIMES I'll go buy a vendor juice people are trying to clone just to educate my palate and check the barometer on what people like. I'm not in the business of mixing but who doesn't like to impress their friends?

Control over nic level - Primarily to step down very gradually (I'm now at 3mg with zero self-discipline exercised). When I started at 18mg it would mess with my sleep and so I made a nighttime 1/4 nic juice. Vaping hasn't affected my sleep since 6mg unless chainvaping before bed