What do I need to begin DIY? Simple guide with links!

[RocketPuppy]

SIMPLE GUIDE FOR WHAT YOU NEED AND WHERE TO BEGIN...in DIY

There are way too many opinions on this, but it's really easy and inexpensive to begin.

SUGGESTIONS

• Don't buy a laboratory worth of supplies.
• Everyone will offer suggestions, but start with the necessities.
• Mix a few dozen mls, then decide what will make the process easier/quicker.
• Don't let other people's praises convince you that you need what they need.
• Free Shipping at a certain price point / discounts / sales mean nothing if you don't like/use it.

• DIY KITS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE FOR WHAT YOU RECEIVE. They're tempting because they're easy, but they often contain supplies you'll never use or quantities that don't fit your needs.

THE ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES

• Nicotine
• PG and/or VG (USP Grade)
• Flavor Concentrates
• Bottles
• Syringes/Needles OR Scale (accuracy of 0.01 grams)

* A box of gloves and eye protection is great for higher concentrations of nic.
*Some people use cylinders/flasks to mix, but it's just as easy to mix right into the bottle. If you're worried about spilling, many places sell small funnels.
_________________________________________________________________________________

PRICES - As of 3/7/15

Bull City Vapor - free shipping @ $75

120 ml Nicotine 24mg: $7.74 (Vaperstek Nicotine)
120 ml PG and VG each: $2.50
Concentrated Flavorings: CAP, FA, FW, HAN, INW, & TFA
Needles/syringes/glass and plastic bottles

ecigExpress - free shipping @ $59.99

115 ml Nicotine: 24mg $8.99
120 ml PG and VG each: $5.99
Concentrated Flavorings: CAP, FA, FE, FW, HS, INW, JF, LA, NF, & Sig
Needles/syringes/glass and plastic bottles

Wizard Labs - free shipping @ $65

120 ml Nicotine 24mg: $7.49
120 ml PG and VG each: $3.19
Concentrated Flavorings: CAP, LA, LAN, SM, & TPA
Needles/syringes/glass and plastic bottles

Vapers Tek - free shipping @ $75

120 ml Nicotine 100mg: $20.00
120 ml PG and VG each: $3.75
Concentrated Flavorings: German Flavors, INW, TPA

One Stop DIY Shop - free shipping @ $75

60 ml Nicotine 36mg: $8.50
120 ml PG and VG each: $4.50
Concentrated Flavorings: OSF, OSB, TFA, CAP, DKS, HC, LA, FW, SM, & FA
Needles/syringes/glass and plastic bottles

More comprehensive lists:

Flavor Concentrates HERE
Bottles, flasks, syringes, bulk, etc HERE
Flavor Suppliers Abbreviated List HERE

Please comment below or message me if you have any questions.

Feel free to post this information elsewhere, but please link back here. Thank you!

 

[tick22]

wow, thanks for this list. I was going to get a Kit but thanks to you know I don't need one..

 

[RocketPuppy]

wow, thanks for this list. I was going to get a Kit but thanks to you know I don't need one..

There is a kit at Bull City that seems like a good deal. However, the flavors come in 30ml sizes which seems like a lot if you end up not liking a flavor.

Please feel free to ask questions if anything arises.

 

[Train]

Good tips!
Just adding a couple other DIY vendors I've ordered stuff from -

2 places you could get everything - nic, flavors, bottles, syringes, etc...
RTS
MyFreedomSmokes

And Essential Depot - JUST for PG and VG, especially if you're ready to get a big bottle...

 

[RocketPuppy]

Thank you!!!!

Essential depot is excellent! Free shipping with two gallons. =)

 

[chris.ardito.3]

Good tips!
Just adding a couple other DIY vendors I've ordered stuff from -

2 places you could get everything - nic, flavors, bottles, syringes, etc...
RTS
MyFreedomSmokes

And Essential Depot - JUST for PG and VG, especially if you're ready to get a big bottle...

Hey Train myfreemdomsmokes I ask about them and someone said the nic taste a little like pepper. Cause I was going to buy some there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RocketPuppy]

Hey Train myfreemdomsmokes I ask about them and someone said the nic taste a little like pepper. Cause I was going to buy some there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you want really clean, non-peppery nic, Most people enjoy Vaperstek.

 

[chris.ardito.3]

Thanks Rocketpuppy for the link


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RocketPuppy]

Anytime. Feel free to ask questions as they come up.

 

[Galaxyrider]

New to DIY? Simple guide - what and where to buy

* There are so many differing opinions on this matter, but it's simple & inexpensive to start. For the same cost as a large pre-made bottle, you could make over 200 mls of liquid.

* Please feel free to post this information elsewhere. I only ask that you link back here. I continue to work very hard to make this as complete as possible. Thank you!

SUGGESTIONS

• 
  
  • Don't buy a laboratory worth of supplies.
  • After making a few mls and seeing what would make the process easier/quicker, then buy the lab set up.
  • Order only a few small-sized flavorings from different companies.
  • Other people's praises don't mean that you'll love them, too.
  • Free shipping after so-and-so dollar amount means nothing if you don't like or use the products.
  • DIY KITS are too expensive for what you receive.*

MANY OF US STARTED DIY THINKING THAT WE NEEDED EVERYTHING, ONLY FOR OUR BEAKERS AND FLASKS TO SIT IDLY BY AS VASES WHILE THE 100'S OF FLAVORINGS ALL TASTED THE SAME.

* DIY Kits are very expensive for what you get and contain unnecessary things. You may be tempted because of the simplicity of it, but the links below will help you find everything easily in one place.

THE ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES

• 
  
  • Nicotine
  • PG and/or VG (USP Grade)
  • Flavor concentrates
  • Bottles
  • Syringes/Needles or Droppers

*If you're using a nicotine solution over 24 mg 2.4% , buy a box of gloves and use eye protection.

THE NON-ESSENTIALS (that some people find essential)

• 
  
  • Graduated Cylinders
  • Flasks/Beakers
  • Scale (0.01g)
  • Funnel (I think it's essential)

PRICES - As of 6/21/14

Bull City Vapor - free shipping @ $75

120 ml Nicotine 24mg: $7.24
120 ml PG and VG each: $2.50

Other supplies they carry: Needles/syringes/glass and plastic bottles/concentrated flavorings (FA, INW, TFA, FW, & CAP)

ecigExpress - free shipping @ $85

115 ml Nicotine: 24mg $8.99
120 ml PG and VG each: $5.99

Other supplies they carry: Needles/syringes/glass and plastic bottles/concentrated flavorings (CAP, FA, FE, FW, HS, INW, JF, LA, NF, Sig, TP)

Wizard Labs - free shipping @ $65
120 ml Nicotine 24mg: $7.49
120 ml PG and VG each: $3.19

Other supplies they carry: Needles/syringes/glass and plastic bottles/concentrated flavorings (LA, LAN, SM, TPA)

Vapers Tek

120 ml Nicotine 100mg: $20.00
120 ml PG and VG each: $3.75

Other supplies they carry: Needles/syringes/glass and plastic bottles/concentrated flavorings (INW)

One Stop DIY Shop - free shipping @ $75

60 ml Nicotine 36mg: $8.50
120 ml PG and VG each: $4.50

Other supplies they carry: Needles/syringes/glass and plastic bottles/concentrated flavorings (OSF, OSB, TFA, CAP, DKS, HC, LA, FW, SM, FA)

Additional Information
Comprehensive lists of where to buy:

• 
  
  • Flavor Concentrates: HERE
  • Bottles, flasks, syringes, bulk, etc: HERE
  • Flavor Suppliers Abbreviated List: HERE

Special thanks to HeadInClouds for suggestions!!!

Im fairly new to DIY, I only wish I had seen this before I got started. I think Im off to a fairly good start, with at least 2 things that Ive made that I really like. BTW, I have to wholeheartedly agree, HIC has been/is being a tremendous help to me. Thanks for your great pointers as well!

 

[RocketPuppy]

Im fairly new to DIY, I only wish I had seen this before I got started. I think Im off to a fairly good start, with at least 2 things that Ive made that I really like. BTW, I have to wholeheartedly agree, HIC has been/is being a tremendous help to me. Thanks for your great pointers as well!

Is there anything I should add? It's been awhile, and I was trying to make it as simple as possible. Of course, I also don't want to leave anything out.

 

[adk1989]

I think getting into this mixing thing is out of my league lol...I'm the type that has to be taught lol...it's very hard for me to teach myself

 

[JackyZen]

Hi! Vaping Underground! This is my first post here, i'm from Montréal, Canada I just received original 10ml flavours from Flavour Art & Inawera, do you just keep them in their plastic bottles for storage or it could be a good thing to put them into glass bottles with glass droppers?

 

[AmandaD]

Hi! Vaping Underground! This is my first post here, i'm from Montréal, Canada I just received original 10ml flavours from Flavour Art & Inawera, do you just keep them in their plastic bottles for storage or it could be a good thing to put them into glass bottles with glass droppers?

Welcome!

I leave mine in the plastic bottles.

 

[adk1989]

As do i

 

[JackyZen]

Thanks for responses. For now, I store my flavors in 2 x Laura Secord chocolate box where I can put about 44 10ml bottles in each box. They are all lying down, so I can see rapidly were my flavors are. I would probably need to change this little storage if I buy glass bottles & droppers. I don't know yet if I want to be a glass freak or not

 

[Jimi]

Thanks for responses. For now, I store my flavors in 2 x Laura Secord chocolate box where I can put about 44 10ml bottles in each box. They are all lying down, so I can see rapidly were my flavors are. I would probably need to change this little storage if I buy glass bottles & droppers. I don't know yet if I want to be a glass freak or not

I have always heard if you keep them in glass they keep longer and the flavor stays stronger [truer]. I peal the lables off the original bottles and stick them to the glass ones.

 

[RichieRich]

hello fellow vapers!!! great site!!! Glad to have joined,,,,,, a lot to learn here....
.. but i learned laying bottles down,if cap not tight U LOSE all ur GOOD juice,,, so keep that in mind....: )

 

[alexwilliams93]

Wow! Great resource list! Thanks so much!

 

[Zeeli]

Helle VU!
So I'm new here. I've spent the last day reading about DIY juices on this site. A lot of great advice here!
My question... Do the prices that Rocketpuppy listed reflect quality of the product?
I'm really leaning towards making my own juice but I do not want to sacrifice quality for a dollar. I would much rather buy premium hand crafted juice over my local vape shops "house blends". If I wanted something that tasted badly, I would just smoke the old school way!

 

[Time]

First, welcome to the forum!

It looks like the list was last updated in July. The vendor I used isn't on the list. But to answer your question, around here people tend to gravitate to the more expensive products. I personally wouldn't know and am happy with my cheaper purchase on sale but I think I'm in the minority.

 

[AmandaD]

Helle VU!
So I'm new here. I've spent the last day reading about DIY juices on this site. A lot of great advice here!
My question... Do the prices that Rocketpuppy listed reflect quality of the product?
I'm really leaning towards making my own juice but I do not want to sacrifice quality for a dollar. I would much rather buy premium hand crafted juice over my local vape shops "house blends". If I wanted something that tasted badly, I would just smoke the old school way!

Some of us think vaperstek nic is the best, which is why we pay for it. However, there's nothing wrong with the others - we just find the VT nic smoother. I still have quite a bit of wizard labs in my freezer which I generally use when I'm making juice for friends who have just given up smoking and are using clearos. As to flavors, it really comes down to personal preference - although, again, you'll see a group of us that favor Flavor Art.

 

[Zeeli]

Thanks for the responses. I have found the FA formally known as VP thread. Lots of good info in there as well.

I'm still using Evod tops. I purchased a Nautilus Mini not long ago but didn't buy attys to go with it. Unfortunately I'm stuck at work for another week. Also just purchased a Provari 2.5. (I'm really excited to play with that when I get home!) I'm also thinking about trying the Ehpro Russian 91% Kayfun clone. I have not experienced drip tips yet. I am looking for a cheaper way to get premium flavors, and it sounds like diy is the way to go.

 

[Smoky Blue]

@Time .. go ahead and pop yours up..
I am sure some might want to see and play around.. no telling

and where did RP go??

 

[Zeeli]

@Time .. go ahead and pop yours up..
I am sure some might want to see and play around.. no telling

and where did RP go??

Should i run for cover? Sorta feels like I'm about to get flamed! LoL!

 

[Smoky Blue]

Should i run for cover? Sorta feels like I'm about to get flamed! LoL!

What??? I shall hide with you lmao.. quick, go that way!!
------------------------------>>

 

[DocDrake]

Thank you for the awesome DIY list and advise @RocketPuppy , BTW nice avatar lmao

 

[RocketPuppy]

The post is a bit old, so please ask away if you have any further questions.

 

[DocDrake]

The post is a bit old, so please ask away if you have any further questions.

Will do and thank you, I'm doing all my research for DIY mixing for the next three months till I get home so hopefully I'll have loads more questions and have a firm grasp on the concept along with safety, procedures, etc...

 

[Nobody2]

If I want my final product to be 18mg nic then should I get the 24mg solution? From what I have read you start with a higher nic solution and dilute it down with PG/VG to the mg level you want....is this correct? And if so what is the normal or average dilution ratio for say 18 or 20mg for the final juice?

 

[AmandaD]

If I want my final product to be 18mg nic then should I get the 24mg solution? From what I have read you start with a higher nic solution and dilute it down with PG/VG to the mg level you want....is this correct? And if so what is the normal or average dilution ratio for say 18 or 20mg for the final juice?

I vape 3-6mg, but I buy the highest concentration I can get which is 100mg/ml. Then I dilute it down! It's much cheaper to buy the higher concentration and dilute it down. I use a juice calculator (ejuiceme) up to be sure I don't make a mistake when I dilute my nic.

 

[Nobody2]

Ok thank you. I am ready to order some but there are several levels of nic solution and just wanted to be sure I didn't end up buying the wrong one.

 

[AmandaD]

Ok thank you. I am ready to order some but there are several levels of nic solution and just wanted to be sure I didn't end up buying the wrong one.

No such thing as the wrong one, as long as you don't get one lower in mg than you vape!

 

[RocketPuppy]

If you're comfortable handling 100mg nic, you'll save a ton of money. Once you get it, we can always help with conversions.

At first I was hesitant to mix with 10% or 100mg but with gloves, goggles (I use my sunglasses), and a well-ventilated area it's a breeze.

 

[EthelMaltol]

I was afraid to use 100 mg nic at first, too. No big deal, I ordered some that was less strong. Soo what if it cost a little more, it was still way cheaper than buying juice and gave me peace of mind. After a while, I realized that I was very careful when mixing and I felt confident enough to get it not only in 100 mg, but also in way larger sizes. Start small and work your way up if you want.

 

[AmandaD]

My first batch of nicotine was 60mg. My next was 100mg - I break down my nic in the sink, so in case of a spill nothing to damage (and the water is right there).

 

[Nobody2]

I went ahead and ordered the 100mg 15ml bottle. Handling it doesn't bother me at all so no issue there. Made a lot of sense to me after reading AmandaD's post about diluting it so I figured I'd start with the 15ml which is the smallest size but should go a long way. The only thing I might consider next time is for about the same price I could have gotten 2 120ml bottles of the 60mg which if my calculation are correct I would end up with a lot more final product even though it wouldn't be diluted as much. Oh well maybe next time. I just wanna thank everyone for their help. I think it shouldn't be too difficult now that I got the nic juice issue settled.


Edit: I made a mistake...it should be 1 120ml bottle of 60mg not 2 bottles. It's like $4.00 more for 120ml bottle of 60mg. Still would end up being a lot more in the end overall.

 

[Zeeli]

I went ahead and ordered the 100mg 15ml bottle. Handling it doesn't bother me at all so no issue there. Made a lot of sense to me after reading AmandaD's post about diluting it so I figured I'd start with the 15ml which is the smallest size but should go a long way. The only thing I might consider next time is for about the same price I could have gotten 2 120ml bottles of the 60mg which if my calculation are correct I would end up with a lot more final product even though it wouldn't be diluted as much. Oh well maybe next time. I just wanna thank everyone for their help. I think it shouldn't be too difficult now that I got the nic juice issue settled.

I'm a new DIY'r as well. Still waiting on my first order to show up. I bought the 120 ml 100mg bottle of Nic from vaperstek. After doing all of the calculations, I should be able to make 720 ml's of 16.75 nic level. That should last almost a year! LoL. I can't wait for the supplies to show up!

 

[tick22]

Thanks for the information in the first post and those that added to it down the thread.....

Time to play Mad Scientist!!!!!!

 

[Nobody2]

I'm a new DIY'r as well. Still waiting on my first order to show up. I bought the 120 ml 100mg bottle of Nic from vaperstek. After doing all of the calculations, I should be able to make 720 ml's of 16.75 nic level. That should last almost a year! LoL. I can't wait for the supplies to show up!

Looks like that 15ml's is not going to go as far as I thought it would. From what I'm seeing with the 100mg nic it works out to about .3ml per mg of nic for a 30ml bottle of juice.. Since I will be making 18-20mg juice it's not quite as high a dilution as I thought! So it looks like I'll be needing to order more real soon if I decide to continue to make my own.

I ordered mine from Bull City Vapor and their Nic is from Vaporstek. Their price is $20.00 for 120ml bottle of 100mg. I don't know if that's a good price or not but their prices on everything else is very good.

 

[AmandaD]

You can't go wrong with the VT nic - nothing I've tried comes close as far as quality. Vaperstek currently has a sale on their nic on their own website, so you might want to order while that sale is current! The Bull City price is the regular price for nic - and it's a good idea to start with that 120ml bottle until you know DIY is for you!

 

[Nobody2]

You can't go wrong with the VT nic - nothing I've tried comes close as far as quality. Vaperstek currently has a sale on their nic on their own website, so you might want to order while that sale is current! The Bull City price is the regular price for nic - and it's a good idea to start with that 120ml bottle until you know DIY is for you!

Just checked their website and I don't see any sale. Their price for 120ml is showing $20.00 which is apparently the regular price. Is there a coupon code I need to enter for the sale price?

The reason I went with the 15ml is because I didn't want to overbuy just in case it doesn't work out. If I can't get it right by the time I'm done with the 15ml then I will not continue. I will be making 6-10ml bottles of juice to start with until I decide which flavors I like. So the 15ml should be enough to start with.

 

[AmandaD]

Just checked their website and I don't see any sale. Their price for 120ml is showing $20.00 which is apparently the regular price. Is there a coupon code I need to enter for the sale price?

The reason I went with the 15ml is because I didn't want to overbuy just in case it doesn't work out. If I can't get it right by the time I'm done with the 15ml then I will not continue. I will be making 6-10ml bottles of juice to start with until I decide which flavors I like. So the 15ml should be enough to start with.

Here's the code - it only works with the regular nicotine, not the throat-hit nicotine:
BLACK-FRIDAY-NICOTINE

 

[Nobody2]

Here's the code - it only works with the regular nicotine, not the throat-hit nicotine:
BLACK-FRIDAY-NICOTINE

Thank you for the code. You do realize that the throat hit nic is only $10.00 for 120ml? And the code does work for the throat-hit nicotine at least it did for me. Throat hit is very important to me because I just switched to vaping a few months ago but was a pack and half a day smoker for close to 40 years. So if it doesn't have good throat hit then I will be too tempted to buy a pack of analogs (which I do not want to do!!!!)

 

[AmandaD]

Thank you for the code. You do realize that the throat hit nic is only $10.00 for 120ml? And the code does work for the throat-hit nicotine at least it did for me. Throat hit is very important to me because I just switched to vaping a few months ago but was a pack and half a day smoker for close to 40 years. So if it doesn't have good throat hit then I will be too tempted to buy a pack of analogs (which I do not want to do!!!!)

The code isn't supposed to work for throat hit! Yes, some people will prefer the more peppery nic, which is why he has that also. I prefer the other one, but they're both first rate!

 

[Nobody2]

The code isn't supposed to work for throat hit! Yes, some people will prefer the more peppery nic, which is why he has that also. I prefer the other one, but they're both first rate!

Well the 15ml's from Bull City is the regular so I'll be able to compare and see. I've never noticed a peppery taste with any of the juices I've vaped but that's just me (I know a lot of people say it does taste peppery). And yup the code worked! Got 120ml for $14.00 including shipping so at least if I decide not to continue it won't be that much cash in the trash!! LOL!!

 

[MD_Boater]

I'm one of those folks with "regular" taste buds. I've mixed with Wizard Labs, Nude Nicotine, and My Freedom Smokes. I've also had a buddy mix one of my recipes using his Vaperstek nic. Lucky for me, I can't tell the difference between any of them. All of them keep me from smoking. Buy a small bottle from as many places as you can, and see if you can tell the difference. If you aren't a super-taster, you might not be able to.

 

[Zeeli]

Thank you for the code. You do realize that the throat hit nic is only $10.00 for 120ml? And the code does work for the throat-hit nicotine at least it did for me. Throat hit is very important to me because I just switched to vaping a few months ago but was a pack and half a day smoker for close to 40 years. So if it doesn't have good throat hit then I will be too tempted to buy a pack of analogs (which I do not want to do!!!!)

There is another way to change up your throat hit, mesing with the pg/vg ratio. More pg will give more throat hit. More vg will increase vapor production but decrease throat hit.

Just some food for thought.

 

[Time]

I'm one of those folks with "regular" taste buds. I've mixed with Wizard Labs, Nude Nicotine, and My Freedom Smokes. I've also had a buddy mix one of my recipes using his Vaperstek nic. Lucky for me, I can't tell the difference between any of them. All of them keep me from smoking. Buy a small bottle from as many places as you can, and see if you can tell the difference. If you aren't a super-taster, you might not be able to.

I'm not so sure the super-tasters can tell the difference either if the name is not on the bottle.

 

[AmandaD]

I'm not so sure the super-tasters can tell the difference either if the name is not on the bottle.

I'm not a super taster, and the difference is huge! But until you try it you won't know