Seems like my base isn’t as strong as I expect it to be.
And not sure about the flavor either.
Not going to say the brand. Just looking for YOUR opinion on what’s the best nicotine base considering accuracy and flavor.
Thanks in advance!
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Where in the world i take my stuff at DIY canada
well, i am not a guy that thinks of “best this” “best that” thing in general… i am more “it does my job as it should or not” though i use pink mule and E-liquid France nic bases in general…(i live in EU)
though may i ask:
what nic level are you using?
what’s the PG/VG Ratio are the juices you’re making?
what Nic Strength juices are you making?
another thing is what exactly you mean by "my base isn’t as ast strong as i expected to be?"
what recipes are you trying to make?
nic is always nic, depending on level it’s stronger… the Base is just a carrier… a bad quality nic usually is really harsh on the throat, has bad flavor etc… or whatever… but you can’t say it’s not strong… probably you need MORE nic in your juices…
Flavors: if the flavors are not strong, you should reconsider what recipes you’re making… if you’re undergoing on flavors, they will not popout, if you overdo it same thing may happen… “more flavoring doesn’t mean you will get more flavor when vaping too”
gl and hf 
Good Q’s, thanks.
3 to 6, mostly 3. In one, 4.5. Citrus recipes seem to take it the hardest and I end up just making them at 0 for the flavor.
I use 100mg/mL base, VG. I warm it up and shake the devil out of it before I draw out.
I mean that if I get store-bought juice at 3 it feels like a heavier hit than when I mix mine at 3. Hence the 4.5.
So really no big diff between nic products? It’s just the way I’m doing it?
Thanks!
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@toddgeer Yes there can be WILD differences in nicotine from different vendors. Like you, I tried using 100%VG NIC but it ended up being more hassle than it was worth, because I store all of mine in the freezer, and the VG just wasn’t workable. I like higher VG mixes, but switched over to 100%PG NIC and it’s been much easier to work with. Straight from the freezer, shake it up good, and start using it. As far as your perceived lower NIC feel in your mix vs. store bought, I’m not sure how your gauging that, throat hit maybe ?
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probably it’s the way you’re doing it…
first of all make sure you’re keeping your ingredients stored well… away from sunlight and ANY heat source… same goes for nic bases, 0 bases as for flavors too…
no imho there are no really really big differences between nic products that are of some good quality and i am sure that with just vaping it can’t someone say “this is better or worse”… for example i use ELFrance and pink mule nic base…plus some others from times to times… they have a good quality… though a bad quality or if for some reason the quality of nic has been changed the nic will be harsh on the throat, sometimes (not so often) leaves odors too but i have never experienced that my self (this is something that i have heard from others)…
another thing is that you don’t have mentioned the magic word “steeping” at all… and you didn’t said the VG/PG ratio you’re mixing… keep in mind that higher vg ratio recipes tend to need more time steeping…
another notice: when saying “i am using citrus” it’s good mentioning also the brand… every brand needs different percentages, i may not being familiar with “THAT” citrus, but someone else may be more familiar and could give you some suggestion on how much to use or suggest you something else that will work for you too… for example “Citrus Punch (TFA)” or "Sweet Strawberry (CAP) :), every single flavor and brand tastes different and needs other amounts of usage…
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I always found the ‘regular’ (for lack of a better word) nic to be too harsh for me. This is all just opinion based on personal experience, of course. I switched to ‘Ultra Premium’ nic (not sure if I can say the brand) and found it personally to be much smoother, as it was advertised to be.
And like a few others have said, I wanted to get to ‘max VG’ so I used to get it in 100% VG but like the others, too much of a pain to work with. So I switched to 100% PG and it works easily for mixing.
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Maybe just very subjective - more of a brain tingle. I’ll have to just play with it. But freezer, huh? Does that make a noticeable difference in lifespan or ?
Thanks!
Oh, I’m totally sure it’s the way I’m doing it, you’re right 
Steeping/aging/infusing, I’ve heard speed/heat, time, high-shear mixing, and from a contract manufacturer, I’ve heard it’s done by the time it hits the shelves. I HAVE seen/tasted a difference though from S&V to 4 days. I keep notes of course and on one in particular, my notes went from S&V “meh, not much there,” to 4 days saying “Wow!”
I’ve settled on 30p70v just because it seemed to be an easy middle ground, although I’ll add a bit more p in some if the softness of the v seems to slightly overwhelm.
In any case, it probably is subjective anyway, so I’ll keep it at three, consider the very subjective nature of this hobby, and keep on vapin’!
Thanks all
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just one question 
personally i don’t see much difference in nictoine from one vendor to the other (at least at the ones that i use), though since i live in europe i would guess things here working kinda different than USA…
personally i use only VG nic, specially after the TPD i can’t do something else unfortunately, 20mg max permitted so for just a 3mg nic i need already the 15% of the mix to be nic so it would kill my VG/PG ratios (i mix 70/30 up to 90/10 vg/pg)… so PG nic is anyway out of use unfortunately… while vendors here do NOT sell PG nic anyway… only 50/50 and 100% VG anymore… but i can’t understand what makes it easier with PG nic?
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I’ve only tried liquid barn and nicriver
Personally I prefer liquid barn’s nicselect 100mg vg or pg
The nic I got from nicriver made my juice taste different .
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It is a matter of trial and error and finding the right mix for you. I prefere Nicotine River for the price and best product. As far as strength I am again a minimalist, I use 36mg in a 50/50 base. It pours easily, and is safer to handle than the 100mg more commonly used base, and you can still mix down to a fairly low PG in your final product. If your just getting started order smaller bottles, You can use them as dispenser bottles when you start buying larger containers of PG VG and Base.
my 2¢
How about a more general question - when do you add the Nicotine? After the steeping, middle of the time, or right at the beginning? Any differences between adding it later than adding at mixing time?
Thanks!
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I mix my mixes at 0 nic since I mix for me and several other people with different nic levels…
Mix ingredients 300 ml of 50/50
Mix. With liquid barns hand mixer
Heat mix just enough to thin the vg
Mix one final time
Pour in bottle
Let sit on shelf until needed
Then when I need a bottle juice with nic
I add the amount of nic I need to the 30 ml bottle
Then fill bottle it’s 0 nic premix
Shake n vape on most mixes , some others after adding nic need to sit for a week…
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Side question, the Liquid Barns hand mixer - it is reasonably powerful, or buried in juice does it bog down? I have a simple milk frother and it can get a little tired when it’s neck deep.
Thanks, that’s a great way to handle. I’m assuming that steeping nicotine is a non-issue for the most part, although I have tasted a difference in harshness after letting it set for even an hour.
AND moved to Nic Salts too, THAT made a big difference in throat hit.
Thanks again
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Not when I heat the mix up just enough to thin the vg… with hot water from my k-cup. It will bog down on max vg @ room temp.
I’ve moved on to a mag mixer but on occasion still use the hand mixer…
For the most part yes… steeping the nic isn’t a problem. there are a few flavors I let sit after adding nic. Just don’t like them till the nic has done whatever it does to aff3ct the flavor…
Strawberry hubba babba is one I don’t like till the nic has been in it for week
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Occurred to me last night - cut the frother part of of the little mixer and chuck it up in a drill motor! Buahahaha!
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Hi, and thanks.
I start with 100mg/mL stock. Tried the ones from ecigexpress then found out about Nic Salts and decided to give them a try, sounded smoother and just as potent. Definitely smoother, if any, throat hit. Trying to judge the strength or potency by the typical brain tingle. That, and the lack of desire for a cigarette. Seems that if I get enough nic in my juice, I have a much lower, if any, desire to smoke.
Typically 3mg in subohm, sometimes up to 4.5. That’s usually added to my still-current fav, a store-bought brand at zero then adding nic.
Theirs is 30/70 although I’m using 40/60 in my own.
Recipes are varied, desserts, herbs, combos. Been starting a set of sample bottles at 1% of various flavors I’m taking notes on. I think I can tell when something loses flavor due to too-high percentage, too-low percentage, or other flavors bashing into it. Still getting the feel (taste) for that.
Going to get a nic kit too to get a rough idea of whether what I’m mixing is really what I’m ending up with.
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