Is 100% PG thin enough for a pod? (newb alert!)

[Stephan1eMitchell]

Years ago I had this ejuice thing down! Now I'm a newb again!

I haven't vaped in about 4 years. I started smoking again. :^( But now I've decided to switch back to vaping in order to kick the cigs.

WOW things have changed! There's now something called "salt nic"????? :^)

I don't even have my old vape tank anymore. But a friend gave me two brand new "pods" which apparently work better with ejuice based on salt nic?? Is that correct?

I live in Canada where they have cracked down on vaping, so my old sources for nic are gone. So I'm trying to wrap my head around how to make ejuice again....

So I've got a couple questions....


[HASH=409883]#TLDR[/HASH]:

Is it correct to say that salt nic ejuice is thinner (less viscous) than the old school recipes we made years ago? And therefore a less powerful device is required to vaporize it?

I have no idea how to mix up a recipe with nic salts, and I can't find any salts here in Canada anyway, so I'm wondering if I can mix up freebase nic in a thin enough PG solution that it would work with these "pods".

Would a 100% PG receipe with freebase nic be comparable to a "salt nic" ejuice, in terms of being able to be vaped in the weaker pod devices?

I guess I am falling back on the products and terminology I know. They say that when you're good with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

This is the first of many stupid questions you'll hear from me!

 

[Vape Fan]

I can't help w/nic salt solution. There are a LOT of pods out now.
What pods do you have?

 

[dubya314]

Years ago I had this ejuice thing down! Now I'm a newb again!

I haven't vaped in about 4 years. I started smoking again. :^( But now I've decided to switch back to vaping in order to kick the cigs.

WOW things have changed! There's now something called "salt nic"????? :^)

I don't even have my old vape tank anymore. But a friend gave me two brand new "pods" which apparently work better with ejuice based on salt nic?? Is that correct?

I live in Canada where they have cracked down on vaping, so my old sources for nic are gone. So I'm trying to wrap my head around how to make ejuice again....

So I've got a couple questions....


[HASH=409883]#TLDR[/HASH]:

Is it correct to say that salt nic ejuice is thinner (less viscous) than the old school recipes we made years ago? And therefore a less powerful device is required to vaporize it?

I have no idea how to mix up a recipe with nic salts, and I can't find any salts here in Canada anyway, so I'm wondering if I can mix up freebase nic in a thin enough PG solution that it would work with these "pods".

Would a 100% PG receipe with freebase nic be comparable to a "salt nic" ejuice, in terms of being able to be vaped in the weaker pod devices?

I guess I am falling back on the products and terminology I know. They say that when you're good with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

This is the first of many stupid questions you'll hear from me!

Idk much about salts, but you won't need 100%pg with freebase. No matter what pod system it is, 50/50 pg/vg should run absolutely fine in it. I use 30/70 pg/vg in all my set ups, and have had no trouble with it wicking in any of the pods I have used.

 

[nadalama]

Second the 50/50 suggestion.

It's my understanding that nicotine salts are used so that the vaper can stand a MUCH higher level of nicotine in the mix without having his/her throat set on fire. Juul iirc comes with nic salts that have about 10 times the nicotine I vape in my regular gear (6mg). Because of the short battery life of a lot of those pod devices, the idea is that you'd get a strong hit of 50 or 60mg nicotine, then you wouldn't need to hit the device again for a good while. Also salts are not recommended for sub-ohm vaping because sub-ohm at 50 or 60 mg will make a person nic sick straightaway, unless they have a mighty high tolerance for nicotine.

I bought one bottle of nic salts and that was it. My recipes tasted like absolutely nothing with salts, and to get the same level of flavor, I had to double the percentages of flavorings I used. Also, salts make me sneeze, over and over, so I wasn't sorry to never use them again.

A responsible middle-of-the-road recommendation, to me, would be to mix at either 12 or 18mg freebase nicotine, 50/50 base, while you're struggling with putting down the cigarettes, with an eye toward decreasing that nic level over time, and moving into some better gear (regular mods and RTAs). My every day, all day mixes are 6mg and roughly 35/65 pg/vg base. And actually, I don't have any trouble running 35/65 in any device I have, all the way from AIOs and pod mods to much warmer rebuildable atomizers. (I do not own any actual pods. I do however have a few MTL tanks, and 35/65 does fine in them.)

 

[Freyja]

Everything said by others above is good advice. I'm chiming in just to 1) Welcome you back and 2) answer your questions very directly...

But a friend gave me two brand new "pods" which apparently work better with ejuice based on salt nic?? Is that correct?

No.
Many pods are lower power/higher resistance devices that are appropriate for salts but regular, freebase nic e-liquids work equally well in them.
"Pods" are just a different type of tank, generally fitting only one device or device line.

Is it correct to say that salt nic ejuice is thinner (less viscous) than the old school recipes we made years ago?

No.
Viscosity depends on the pg/vg ratio, with vg being the more viscous. More vg = higher viscosity.

And therefore a less powerful device is required to vaporize it?

No.
Generally speaking, higher pg is recommended for MTL vaping (MTL =Mouth-To-Lung, like how one smokes a cigarette) and higher vg for DL (DL = Direct-Lung), how much power you'll want depends more on other things.
Some pod kits put out plenty of power.
Also, pods leak. All of them, though how much varies. Too thin an e-liquid, i.e. high pg, can mean more leaking.
The recommendation above for 50/50 pg/vg is a good place to start.

I'm wondering if I can mix up freebase nic in a thin enough PG solution that it would work with these "pods".

Freebase or salt makes no difference in that regard. The difference is in tolerable concentration of nic.

Would a 100% PG receipe with freebase nic be comparable to a "salt nic" ejuice, in terms of being able to be vaped in the weaker pod devices?

Again, it doesn't matter; both freebase & salt can be vaped in pods and pg percentage can be whatever works for you whether the nic is salt or freebase.

so my old sources for nic are gone.

There are US online vendors selling nic. Whether they ship to Canada and what import restrictions there might be, you'll have to check out. Definitely obey any Canadian & local laws. Some sell salt nic but, as said before, you'd do well mixing 12 or 18 mg/ml freebase e-liquids. Don't be hung up on the salt thing.

This is the first of many stupid questions you'll hear from me!

The only stupid questions are the ones you didn't ask before F-ing up.

Welcome and good luck.

 

[VapeOn1960]

I agree... 50/50 is plenty thin. Stick to regular "freebase" nic (If you make your own juice, you make it any strength you want) I smoked a pack a day and started with 18 mg/ml... quickly was down to 12 mg. The whole salt nic is for pods is just marketing BS. That's only if you want really high nic (like 50 mg... 5%)
And yes... I agree "The only stupid questions are the ones you didn't ask" There are websites with "calculators" to help you do the math to mix the nic level you want. We are here to help too. Get some nic ASAP. 100 mg/ml in PG is a good choice.

 

[Heartsdelight]

I agree... 50/50 is plenty thin. Stick to regular "freebase" nic (If you make your own juice, you make it any strength you want) I smoked a pack a day and started with 18 mg/ml... quickly was down to 12 mg. The whole salt nic is for pods is just marketing BS. That's only if you want really high nic (like 50 mg... 5%)
And yes... I agree "The only stupid questions are the ones you didn't ask" There are websites with "calculators" to help you do the math to mix the nic level you want. We are here to help too. Get some nic ASAP. 100 mg/ml in PG is a good choice.

Ditto! I totally agree!

 

[hellcatrydr]

So can regular 50/50 nic be used in pods?

 

[Freyja]

So can regular 50/50 nic be used in pods?

Yes.

It's all basically the same thing; just different means for doing the same thing the same way.
Get e-liquid you like, put it in the pod, attach the pod to your device, turn it on, and vape.
Watch out for leaks, treat your device like the piece of electronics it is, don't overcomplicate things, enjoy.