Should I go big?

Need some advice. So I want to place my first order. After reading a bunch of post I decided to order from nic.riv. I need advice on how much vg/pg to order. I want to buy a liter because it’s not that much more but I don’t want to over do it. Thanks in advance.

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You can, but for NIC, you should prepare by also getting a bunch of 60-100ml amber glass bottles to break it down to keep it fresh.

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PG/VG is usually super inexpensive and buying 1 litre is a wise idea, depending on your VG/PG ratios you will use more of one then the other.

For example: I use 60VG/40PG so end up using more VG than PG.

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Go big! Lol
You’re gonna be doing a lot of experimenting and testing and you’ll end up going through a ton of vg/pg. Like @Grubby said, they’re cheap so it’s not a bad idea at all to get bigger bottles. They’re super shelf stable too, as long as they’re in airtight containers so even if it does last you a long time you shouldn’t have to worry about them going bad.
Flavors on the other hand… Definitely start small (10ml +/-) until you know which ones you love. :wink:

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They have a starter kit that is killer. Try that on for size, then if you like jump in. If you don’t like it, not much money wasted. Also have your BM juice on hand if you do not like it. Then you always have something on standby.

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Go big or go home!:rofl:

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I started with a starter kit. It helped me get the kinks out before i ordered…word of caution!! I bought 6 4oz bottles of flavor right out of the gate. Do not do this. I ended up gifting 3 of them (almost full) ha

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Recommend getting a starter kit first.

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if you start mixing your juices, nic bases are never enough sir … specially if you have some good recipes that you like and you don’t mind giving more money at once i would say go ahead… personally before the TPD (i live in EU) i was always bying my NICS and 0 PG/VG in bottles of liters…

just make sure you store it away from heat sources and sunlight (i keep my vaping stuff in a shelf in my closet (VG/PG) Nics, flavors) and never had a problem… all this stuff can last for like 2 years without a problem if they’re stored properly :slight_smile:

gl and hf :slight_smile:

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TLDR;
Yes, order gallons of each, and at least 250ml of 100mg nic. Good Luck !

First some history of me :
I started DIY in May of this year, and mix everything 70% VG, 30% PG - I vape around 20-40ml of e-juice every day (depending on the atty I use).
I assumed (wrong) that 1 gallon of VG and 1 liter of PG would last me over a year. I was so wrong.
I Finished my first gallon of VG in 4.5 months. and my first liter of PG in around 3 months. I now have 2 gallons of PG and 3 gallons of VG in the closet.

My first order for nicotine was a small 60ml bottle of 100mg strength nic. I started mixing 3% nic, but with a “better” RTA, it was too strong, so now I mix at 1.5% nic and I am happy there, but the 60ml bottle was finished in around 4 months. Bought 500ml of 100mg nic and pour into 60ml bottle when low, keep the 500ml bottle in the freezer.

Nicotine River has free shipping if your order total is over $50, so…
Depending on your desired ratios (50/50, 60/40, 70/30, etc) buy a gallon of VG (aprox 3800ml) and a couple of liters of PG, and at least 250ml of 100mg nic. If you don’t vape as much, it should last a while.

For pouring/mixing I use a 10ml syringe for Nic, a 250ml bottle with twist cap for VG and a 120ml bottle with twist cap for PG. Just fill up the bottles before or during a mixing session.

At first all my mixes were “Shake & vape” even if they needed a steep !, now that I have a bunch of recipes mixed up, I can vape the steeped stuff, and mix new stuff and steep them – Variety in vapes. Almost all the mixes I have done are “Good”, a couple of “blah” or “never again” recipes, but nothing “AMAZING” yet. I’m OK with this. Having a couple of spare RDAs helps, vape a bright fruity vape, then a heavier cream/custard vape helps the flavors come out more because you are shocking your tastebuds with the different flavors and helps to reduce your “vape-tongue” issues. It’s fun. I’ve ordered and starting to mix some Lemon-y flavors now. NEVER though I would like lemon, but I do !

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So you use a 60ml bottle for nicotine mixes and store the remainder of the 500ml bottle of nicotine as is?
I always thought that we should break it down to several smaller bottles and keep them closed.
Could you expand on this?

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LOL, I’m lazy and don’t care if there’s some air in the bottle.

The veteran mixers will break them down to smaller bottles to minimize oxygen exposure then freeze them, but I don’t know what % of them will go to this extent, or if it’s just a vocal few.

To me, it’s in the freezer, and should be fine by the time I’m finished with it. I also have a spare 250ml bottle I can pour it into once I use at least 50% of the 500ml bottle, so I’m not that worried about it If I had a liter bottle, I might have broken then down to 250ml bottles

Then again, I am a noob :sweat_smile: and I don’t have the years of nic storage experience that others have, but it’s been fine so far. The 60ml bottle has more exposure to air than the bottle in the freezer since I’m opening/closing it at least once a week, and it’s at room temp, so it should discolor / change properties faster than the frozen, but in the short 3-4 months, it really hasn’t changed properties (maybe it has taken a very slight change of hue) but no noticeable change in taste or peppery-ness. The color of the Nic in the 500ml bottle is still clear and has not changed in color since I first received it.

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Yeah, I see. I’m just curious that’s why I’m asking. Not saying there’s a right or wrong way to do it.
Just interested to know how it works out, something I can learn from perhaps.
Thanks for the explanation.

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I start with 1lt VG, 1lt PG and 100ml 100mg/ml nic.
I dilute the nic to 22.2mg/ml to a 100ml bottle that helps me when i wan’t to choose how much nic to add in my next mix.
1/4 nic from 22.2 is about 5.55mg/ml nic
2/4 = 11.1
3/4 = 16.6
1/3 = 7.4 this is the most common for me.
As you can see i like to have choises with my nic.
That 100mg/ml 100ml nic I have calc that will last for about 9-12 months. I vape about 4ml per day with a Doggystyle RTA 9.5W to 13.5W

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Thanks for the input everyone.

Heartland vapes has a decent starter kit.

Dont forget a scale, i bought a nice one in the beginning and it has helped a lot. This scale wont shut off when plugged into an outlet, and its a pleasure to use, 10/10 on this one ! https://www.oldwillknottscales.com/my-weigh-ibalance-601.html

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I’m found of measuring in beakers and syringes. Might try the scales on day but for now. I like beakers and syringes

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That’s a beatiful scale. Maybe some day but a bit out of my price range. Who knows maybe I’ll get really good at mixing and unload a couple of batches and have other people pay for that scale.

I understand completely, i am an ex smoker and smoking cigarettes cost me at least $200 a month so for me it made sense and really wasn’t that expensive… I strongly suggest you buy a cheaper scale the long time mixers on elr all use one, and its difficult to get consistent results by using drops. Ive been at it for 9 months and only now am i starting to get good results. The one thing i have learned is the road to success is paved with failure, good luck and don’t give up !

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