Anybody else prefer their DIY juice over store bought premium?

[rj9923]

I've been making my own juice for quite some time. About a month ago, a friend tried vaping and decided it wasn't for him, so he gave me two zampleboxes that were pretty much full. It appears he only vaped about 5ml before calling it quits. I can barely finish these juices. They're just terrible in my opinion and they all taste the same, with a sticky artificial texture. I looked up all the juices and each bottle sells for at least 15 bucks. That's a premium price, and I cannot stand them. I'd much rather have my own DIY juice, and I'm nothing near a good juice maker.
I was just curious if anybody else experiences the same after they go DIY.

 

[JuicyLucy]

I've been making my own juice for quite some time. About a month ago, a friend tried vaping and decided it wasn't for him, so he gave me two zampleboxes that were pretty much full. It appears he only vaped about 5ml before calling it quits. I can barely finish these juices. They're just terrible in my opinion and they all taste the same, with a sticky artificial texture. I looked up all the juices and each bottle sells for at least 15 bucks. That's a premium price, and I cannot stand them. I'd much rather have my own DIY juice, and I'm nothing near a good juice maker.
I was just curious if anybody else experiences the same after they go DIY.

All day everyday !

 

[MrScaryZ]

been DIY'ing since second month of vaping years now only way to fly

 

[Diescum88]

All I've really used for almost 2 years now is my own diy

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[skiball]

I go to vape shops to sample juices. Than just copy them at home and mines as good or better. Last vape meet i went to a "premium" mixer was bragging about the strawberry he used and how real it tasted. That no one could figure out how he came up with it. I'm like like easy fa red touch guy's face said it all.

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[VAPESWAPSHOP]

I've been making my own juice for quite some time. About a month ago, a friend tried vaping and decided it wasn't for him, so he gave me two zampleboxes that were pretty much full. It appears he only vaped about 5ml before calling it quits. I can barely finish these juices. They're just terrible in my opinion and they all taste the same, with a sticky artificial texture. I looked up all the juices and each bottle sells for at least 15 bucks. That's a premium price, and I cannot stand them. I'd much rather have my own DIY juice, and I'm nothing near a good juice maker.
I was just curious if anybody else experiences the same after they go DIY.

Waisting my money on expensive juices that ended up sittin around is exactly why I wanted to make my own. One of my memorable moments was dumping them down the drain to make room for my newly made DIY juices! I go back to B&Ms try some and immediately notice stuff that clogs my coils or different flavors im now familiar with....and its fun....but I dont feel as satisfied vaping them either. I wont know the ingredients and I will be out more than the cost of a few bad flavorings if I dont like it. I thought I was gonna end up spending more money on juices than I did on cigs before I found DIY. This site was a huge help in making it fun too! Thanks VU!

 

[The Vape Crusader]

I got my first DIY kit 12 hours ago and I'm... not going back to premium. Cheap pre-mixed? Sure... but not $22 for 40mL when I'm sitting here making 30mL for $1.80.

 

[Huckleberried]

I've been DIY for about 3 years now, I think. In that time frame I purchased juice once from Scope because I had to try his MaddScope juice everyone raves about. I did really like that one and I won another bottle of his, so I tried a different flavor. If I didn't DIY, I'd buy stuff from him, Scope makes really good juice! Aside from trying those out last year, I vape DIY everyday. With all the wonderful recipes posted here, it's hard not to love DIY.

 

[gobbly]

I vacillate a bit. I have found a very small number of 'premium' juices I really liked and a few that I liked something about them but were lacking something I can add (and hopefully it all works together). I'm not the greatest alchemist. It takes me a long time to find something I really like when I start from scratch. I don't like going higher VG than 50/50 (I mix my own to 30/70 vg/pg), and VG seems to continue to grow in popularity, so I suspect that as time goes on I'll be forced to get better. What I do mix from scratch are all variations on fruit. I'm a fruit fanatic!

 

[pulsevape]

I prefer the juice I make over the 30.00 for 30 ml. stuff....I don't think I've bought a single ml of juice in over a year now.....store brought juice is drek....and personally my tatstes are contrary to the direction the juice industry has taken....I'm not interested in vaping desert or sweet stuff.

 

[AndriaD]

All day everyday !

And 5 times on Sunday!

After I'd been making my strawberry & cream for a while, the farkin USPS dillydallied and I ran out of shisha strawberry flavoring... so I had to go buy some juice to get me by. I tried the cuttwood unicorn milk... and all I could think was.. "where's the strawberry?"

My strawberry & cream beats anything commercial, hands down.

Andria

 

[JuicyLucy]

I vacillate a bit. I have found a very small number of 'premium' juices I really liked and a few that I liked something about them but were lacking something I can add (and hopefully it all works together). I'm not the greatest alchemist. It takes me a long time to find something I really like when I start from scratch. I don't like going higher VG than 50/50 (I mix my own to 30/70 vg/pg), and VG seems to continue to grow in popularity, so I suspect that as time goes on I'll be forced to get better. What I do mix from scratch are all variations on fruit. I'm a fruit fanatic!

Been exclusively DIY for about over a year
Then I won some premium juice and liked it, then got a free sample of something else and loved it, so thought maybe "bought" juice might have gotten better.

So bought two bottles of premium stuff that looked good - big mistake

Now if I could just find a way to clone that last one - mighty good

 

[sammstein]

Yep... Too much money wasted on expensive shit that tastes NOTHING like the description...ill disappoint myself for less $$ thanks lol

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[jjdell]

To be honest, i make my own. The premium as well as most others here in Oz are a bit expensive. I see stuff from overseas and think, seriously!? There are some cheapies here but they are cheap as, you can make better yourself. One seller does do some goodies at decent for Oz prices. Eg Vape Wild 60ml @ $28 Aus. And some others for 60ml below $50 Aus but thats it. Most are, for decent, $20 to $$40 for just 30 ml. Thats why i make my own. Even though i may goof it up now and then. Ha ha which as youd know by now i do.

 

[Teresa P]

The only "premiums" I vape are the little samples sent to me by friends with a little note that reads "Can you make this?" I actually bought a bottle about a year ago. It was my absolute favorite flavor before I started making my own and I was determined to clone it. I filled my tank, took a nice long draw....I'd been craving it for over a year and could hardly wait to taste it again....and almost barfed. I actually paid a dollar a mil for that stuff??
Just a tip: "Premium" is usually synonymous for "crapload of sweetener."
I'm still gonna clone that juice. But I'll be making it my way, and I will get the good flavor I remember when I do. I'm not lining the pockets of pretentious juice vendors when I can be padding my own pockets with the savings from making my own delicious mixes.

 

[Alter]

My wife and I have been vaping now almost 4 years (March 25) now. Been rebuilding my attys just about as long since my first metallic tasting, badly wrapped CE4 coil head led me to researching WTF. I read lots about DIY juices but was intimidated by amounts of flavorings, mixing and their comparison to commercial juices thus mixing disappointments and wasting juice, so sat on the fence for months. I can across some drams of Loranns, read that they can be used so I bought and started changing my vendor juices, that was over 2 years ago.
Readers Digest version of a long DIY story is Hangsen tobac concentrates rock, tobacco absolutes are unbelievable and my first go at a NET was surprisingly successful. The milestone in my DIY was making a cotton candy juice that kicked the shit enough that my wife dropped the vendor juice like a hot potato. DIY juice in our household has provided nothing but pros and not a single con.
I'm in the middle of rebottling all my extra plastic hangsen concentrates into glass to go into the freezer, got 3 liters of Nic and my glycube so I'm sitting pretty for the next many years
Saving money is the perk of DIY but I began the saving the money with vaping and just enhanced the saving by making juice, 20 bucks a month for 2 of us to vape is really hard to beat.
I've won several Facebook contests for a assortment of juices, open one up...take a sniff....YUK, think I'm glad I didn't pay for this and put the lid back on then eventually give it away. Out of the prolly 20+ different juices from different companies I've won there is barely a few I tolerated but I had to "water them down" in order to vape them and still only a tank or two before I couldn't take the sweetness anymore or it contaminated my tanks so badly I had to take them to bits to clean the smell and taste out.
Once I figured out the DIY juice making and what I like there is no going back to rolling those very expensive dice with commercial juices your hoping are good.

 

[gopher_byrd]

I haven't bought any pre-made juice in about a year and a half. I had stopped by a vape shop in Kona just for the heck of it. After sitting around and talking with folks and generally having a good time I figured the owner deserved to make some money for me sitting there. The juice was pretty good, but not something I would go searching for since I can make just as good if not better myself.

The town I live in doesn't have any vape shops, so they are a novelty to me. If I see one in my travels, I'll usually stop in and usually walk out with something if they are pretty cool. Anyway DIY is the only juice I use now and the only I will use. My wife when she sees me mixing says I'm playing with my chemistry set...

 

[The Cromwell]

been DIY'ing since second month of vaping years now only way to fly

Same here.
I had to start DIY quickly or go back to smoking since some ingredient or ingredients in most all bought ejuice causes me physical grief.
Inflammation inside mouth and irritated throat and lungs.

 

[MrScaryZ]

Same here.
I had to start DIY quickly or go back to smoking since some ingredient or ingredients in most all bought ejuice causes me physical grief.
Inflammation inside mouth and irritated throat and lungs.

same some exasperate some of my conditions

 

[The Cromwell]

same some exasperate some of my conditions

With me it was giving me new conditions.

 

[pescadore]

After my DIY juice, I can't take store bought stuff. My juice is better and a lot less expensive

 

[VAPESWAPSHOP]

To be honest, i make my own. The premium as well as most others here in Oz are a bit expensive. I see stuff from overseas and think, seriously!? There are some cheapies here but they are cheap as, you can make better yourself. One seller does do some goodies at decent for Oz prices. Eg Vape Wild 60ml @ $28 Aus. And some others for 60ml below $50 Aus but thats it. Most are, for decent, $20 to $$40 for just 30 ml. Thats why i make my own. Even though i may goof it up now and then. Ha ha which as youd know by now i do.

A buddy of mine only vapes the vapewild graham cracker and recently decided to start DIY because they started selling his in premixed concentrate. I tried cloning it for a while but I cant figure out the coconut part of it.....yeah coconut lol.... Not sure if thats available there in the Oz, but it may help new mixers get rolling if they can make something theyre already familiar with.

 

[akuser47]

Howdy, I'm new here but not to vaping been vaping since 2014. I am a rookie at D.I.Y. juice, but I am in love with the flavor I can make already. You are correct less would fail at vaping if more had a mentor to teach them how to do it right.

 

[Deeks]

I haven't even vaped the freebies and throw ins I've acquired from buying gear. Bought some RDAs from Nicoticket for their going out of sale thing (70% off at the time) and got like 150mls of thrown in stuff I'm keeping as souvenirs I guess lol

DIY-all-day-er-day

 

[Rin Vapes]

Well I think Zamplebox is a bad example. From the "unboxings" or whatever you want to call them, that I've seen, the liquids they send aren't that great. However, even if I go to a vape shop and test a bunch of flavors... I tend to not care for 90% of them. The other 10% may be ok but if I feel I can duplicate it by DIY or even come close, I won't buy it. I still purchase a few eliquids but they are few and far between. Most have too much sweetener for one... Two, I am picky as hell.

 

[jjdell]

A buddy of mine only vapes the vapewild graham cracker and recently decided to start DIY because they started selling his in premixed concentrate. I tried cloning it for a while but I cant figure out the coconut part of it.....yeah coconut lol.... Not sure if thats available there in the Oz, but it may help new mixers get rolling if they can make something theyre already familiar with.

Iv heard of that i think, if i recall right it may have been refered to as "shake n vape"? Tried to find it down here but no joy yet.

 

[VAPESWAPSHOP]

Iv heard of that i think, if i recall right it may have been refered to as "shake n vape"? Tried to find it down here but no joy yet.

I think the company makes a "flavor base" of some of the juices they have. Essentially if you have a flavor base its the formula of the ejuice recipe that is basically a flavoring in itself. You should be able to add this flavor base at 10-20% to vg-pg-nic solution and now you have your favorite ejuice recipe from their site. Shake and vape is pretty much ANY recipe thats so good you wanna drink it outta the bottle... right after mixing ......

 

[The Cromwell]

Yep shake and vape recipes you can pretty much vape right away although at least 1 day is better.
Several/most of the pre mixed concentrate flavors do require steeping after adding it at around 15-20% to your pg/vg and nic.
I understand that adore eliquids has some good premixed concentrates. A something like $17 bottle will mix up to 120-150 ml or more of premium eliquid. Not the MT Baker stuff.


http://www.adoreeliquid.com/category-s/106.htm

 

[Markw4mms]

I've been doing DIY for around a year, and haven't really bought any commercial juice since. I have a large collection of commercial stuff still in my stash, some still unopened. I just can't get excited about vaping any of it now.

 

[brandon555]

Waisting my money on expensive juices that ended up sittin around is exactly why I wanted to make my own. One of my memorable moments was dumping them down the drain to make room for my newly made DIY juices! I go back to B&Ms try some and immediately notice stuff that clogs my coils or different flavors im now familiar with....and its fun....but I dont feel as satisfied vaping them either. I wont know the ingredients and I will be out more than the cost of a few bad flavorings if I dont like it. I thought I was gonna end up spending more money on juices than I did on cigs before I found DIY. This site was a huge help in making it fun too! Thanks VU!

My sentiments exactly. Finding a commercial juice that I find worthy of being an ADV is like finding a needle in a haystack. I'd much rather mix my own stuff, and dump out the occassional 10ml bottle that didn't turn out. I made up about some juice for a few family members that vape this year for xmas gifts. The next time I saw them they were all raving about how much better it was than the commercial juice they've been buying from shops or online.

 

[Mike H.]

I still say "Purchased" juice is one of the biggest rip offs in the industry with pre made coils following suit...I have zero issues with the rest of vaping products.

 

[The Cromwell]

I still say "Purchased" juice is one of the biggest rip offs in the industry with pre made coils following suit...I have zero issues with the rest of vaping products.

Ripoffs might be a bit harsh.
However if I only used factory coils and bought all my juice, I would be spending more on vaping than I did on smoking.

 

[Alter]

I have a large collection of commercial stuff still in my stash, some still unopened. I just can't get excited about vaping any of it now.

I had made my very first DIY 10ml Hangsen Highway and didn't even give it a chance to steep, pretty well vaped it the same day I knew that my juice buying days were over. Once I got rolling I have no desire and still no desire to clone nobody's juice, just simple vapes that aren't sickly so I stick to tobacs and absolutes.
I watched a few younger folx with serious hitters but I couldnt see the attys, trying some of the wanna be shops juices(YUK) and thinking bummer 18 bucks for 15mls really sucks when you vape 10+mls a day in those fancy setups. The few people that have tried my vape all want to know where I get my juice, I tell them DIY then they want to buy it so I don't approach many anymore to discuss vaping unless they catch me doing it then start asking questions.

 

[AndriaD]

I still say "Purchased" juice is one of the biggest rip offs in the industry with pre made coils following suit...I have zero issues with the rest of vaping products.

Ripoffs might be a bit harsh.
However if I only used factory coils and bought all my juice, I would be spending more on vaping than I did on smoking.

Buying ejuice, and buying coils, is the way you START vaping -- because none of us started vaping knowing how to make either one, so if we'd not been able to buy them, we'd all have been shit outta luck.

But there does come a point, if one is going to keep vaping for the forseeable future, when one has to grab the bull by the horns and get proactive, and learn to make, mount, and wick one's own coils, and mix one's own ejuice. Otherwise it's as big an economic drain as cigarettes. And therein lies one of the greatest benefits of vaping over smoking, quite aside from the health benefits -- we can do it for ourselves, and not be extorted by BT and gov't... despite their recent efforts to begin putting the extortion machinery into place. Those of us who've stocked up will never be extorted as we once were.

Andria

 

[PhantomOp]

Wife and I have been DIY mixing a few weeks after starting our vaping journey. Two weeks ago we decided to get some SauceLA purchased juice, and a lot of it because it was on sale (two FULL line sample packs). It is now sitting in a drawer and we can't vape it because of the amount of sucralose they use in it. Wife is allergic to sucralose and it taste horrible.

We've now decided no more purchased juice, we would rather just DIY our mixes. I'll probably be listing the juice up for sale this weekend.

 

[Nailz]

Nope, got a cabinet full of DIY that never gets used, to much hassle to pull everything out, to make sub par juice, tried doing it for a month with recipes from different places and never made anything good enough making it worth the hassle, especially as nowadays, you can buy premade for around $15 for a 120mil, sometimes cheaper when sales are going on.

 

[The Cromwell]

Buying ejuice, and buying coils, is the way you START vaping -- because none of us started vaping knowing how to make either one, so if we'd not been able to buy them, we'd all have been shit outta luck.

But there does come a point, if one is going to keep vaping for the forseeable future, when one has to grab the bull by the horns and get proactive, and learn to make, mount, and wick one's own coils, and mix one's own ejuice. Otherwise it's as big an economic drain as cigarettes. And therein lies one of the greatest benefits of vaping over smoking, quite aside from the health benefits -- we can do it for ourselves, and not be extorted by BT and gov't... despite their recent efforts to begin putting the extortion machinery into place. Those of us who've stocked up will never be extorted as we once were.

Andria

Yep I started with 808 cigalikes in a kit my wife got me. Sneaky of her....

Anyway once I saw what they wanted for the prefilled cartomizers I immediately went online and found some empty ones and bought some juice at the gas station to fill them with and to refill the original ones.

 

[The Cromwell]

Wife and I have been DIY mixing a few weeks after starting our vaping journey. Two weeks ago we decided to get some SauceLA purchased juice, and a lot of it because it was on sale (two FULL line sample packs). It is now sitting in a drawer and we can't vape it because of the amount of sucralose they use in it. Wife is allergic to sucralose and it taste horrible.

We've now decided no more purchased juice, we would rather just DIY our mixes. I'll probably be listing the juice up for sale this weekend.

Yep ANY artificial sweetener either messes my mouth up and or tastes horrible to me.
I sweeten some of my juice but I use liquid Stevia.

 

[The Cromwell]

Nope, got a cabinet full of DIY that never gets used, to much hassle to pull everything out, to make sub par juice, tried doing it for a month with recipes from different places and never made anything good enough making it worth the hassle, especially as nowadays, you can buy premade for around $15 for a 120mil, sometimes cheaper when sales are going on.

Been vaping my own Diy for almost 2 years now.
Found 4 ADV DIY I liked and been vaping mostly them for almost 2 years.
Expanding my horizons on DIY now though.

 

[Mykreign]

I'm torn atm. I started DIY 2-3 weeks ago and I've made 4 juices that my gf and sister love. They say it's better than the vape shop they used to go to.

However, I haven't made anything that I like enough to be an ADV. so I've been finishing up my purchased stash but I'm almost out! I gotta find something quick


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[AndriaD]

Yep ANY artificial sweetener either messes my mouth up and or tastes horrible to me.
I sweeten some of my juice but I use liquid Stevia.

I still haven't gotten or tried any stevia... but strangely, considering the EXTREME amount of sucralose I used at first and for quite a long time, I use very little anymore -- .38% in a recipe; in my usual 55ml mixes, that's about .2ml -- I used to use 2.5%! I may eventually end up not using any, since the flavors I use are pretty sweet in their own right, and I still use a fair amount, a total of about 26%.

Andria

 

[PhantomOp]

stevia

I would send you my entire bottle, but it would be cheaper to just pick some up @ the store. We can't use stevia either.

 

[Angrygod50]

I'm saving so much money and getting better tasting liquid than I used to buy. (thanks to VU members) I like to change flavors a lot and usually have 30-40 in rotation and there all flavors I like. There's only one that I still buy only because I haven't figured out how to make it..... yet.

 

[AndriaD]

I would send you my entire bottle, but it would be cheaper to just pick some up @ the store. We can't use stevia either.

I've just never seen any particular reason to get any, since the TFA Sweetener suits me just fine -- and i use very little of it anymore in any case. Since my tastebuds started waking up from their coma, I find the flavors I use *almost* sweet enough in themselves, to need very little sweetener at all.

Andria

 

[The Cromwell]

I would send you my entire bottle, but it would be cheaper to just pick some up @ the store. We can't use stevia either.

The only Stevia I can use is NuNaturals Clear NuStevia.

 

[Rabbit Slayer]

Vape Wild works good enough for me...I tried "premium" once and it did not taste like it was worth $25 an ounce

 

[The Vape Crusader]

I too am a VW Guy

Vape Wild works good enough for me...I tried "premium" once and it did not taste like it was worth $25 an ounce

I too am a VW Guy. Their pre-mixed is cheap enough ($5-7 a bottle depending on how much you buy), and I just got into their DIY, and it's really good. I will say they don't have quite as many flavors as I would like to see, but I can always supplement with other companies if need be.

 

[brandon555]

Nope, got a cabinet full of DIY that never gets used, to much hassle to pull everything out, to make sub par juice, tried doing it for a month with recipes from different places and never made anything good enough making it worth the hassle, especially as nowadays, you can buy premade for around $15 for a 120mil, sometimes cheaper when sales are going on.

Yeah I can see that. There are a lot of bad recipes out there, and developing your own recipes can be pretty time consuming. $15 bucks for 120ml isn't bad at all. It's a far cry from the days of $20 for 30ml, now that was ridiculous considering 30ml is basically a sample if you're sub-ohming.

 

[The Cromwell]

go to ELR and sort recipies by ratings then by number of reviews. if only a few reviews but 4-5 stars then??

But if 50 reviews and 4-5 stars? hmmm must be good to several people.

register for better search functions and such.
ELR is the best single resource for DIY that I know of.

http://e-liquid-recipes.com/

 

[Rin Vapes]

go to ELR and sort recipies by ratings then by number of reviews. if only a few reviews but 4-5 stars then??

But if 50 reviews and 4-5 stars? hmmm must be good to several people.

register for better search functions and such.
ELR is the best single resource for DIY that I know of.

http://e-liquid-recipes.com/

When it isn't freezing... On every Saturday DIY show for the last month ELR has froze on me... A little annoying.