I use syringes to measure out still.
Its a pain really cos i have to keep taking the tops off the bottles!
How much easier is it to use scales really?
Would i be able to measure 2% of a 100ml bottle, so 2ml ?
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Syringes are a pain in the butt. They’re accurate, but that’s all they have going for them.
It’s slow and you have a lot of cleanup to do afterwards. And then drying out. And you need loads of them when you want to mix a range of different flavors.
With a scale, it’s easy. Empty bottle on the scale, turn it on, squirt the flavor in, squirt another flavors in, and another. Put in nicotine if you want to. If you have premade base liquid, just top the bottle up and you’re done. No cleaning, just put your bottles away and that’s it.
If you have your nic, vg and pg separate, you measure them off separately but still, a lot faster with a scale than with syringes.
Most people here will agree that a scale is one of the best purchases they’ve done for mixing convenience.
If you do single flavor tests and small samples of recipes, it’s best if you get a 0.001g scale. If you’re mixing 100ml bottles and more, you’re more than good enough with a 0.01g scale.
Scales like this go from about £10 and up. A 0.01g scale usually goes to between 200g-500g, a 0.001g scale usually goes to 50g-100g. If you want scales with bigger ranges, you’re just going to spend a whole lot more money and for simple home DIY mixing, it’s just over the top.
It’s more about convenience and time saving than a difficulty level.
With ease, you can measure a 0.25% of a 30ml bottle. But it all depends on the quality and accuracy of your scale. A 0.001g scale will finely measure out very small quantities, but it won’t do your 100ml bottle (it will do the flavors, just not with the bottle and base liquids). A 0.01g scale will do up to nearly half a liter bottles with base liquids, but it won’t be great at doing 10 or 15ml testers.
Using the right tools for the job makes life so much easier and much more pleasant too.
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Very well put, @Suomynona…
Without the right tools, sure you can mix, but with tools that are for certain measurements, you will become a better mixer.
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I recently bought a 100ml beaker for making up pre-mixed base. Since I make my pre-mix bases by the Liter or 1/2 Liter it makes it very easy. I have recipies for my different bases. It’s also very easy to clean.
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This is exactly what I have been using and still on my first batteries after 18 months.
Reacts fast, works well. Recommended
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A lot of people like to use it. I don’t have the 501 so I’m not the best person to ask but like I said a lot lot of people use and like it. Here is a link discussing scales and a lot of people mention the 501
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I never mix less than 60ml.
If I mix 30ml there is never anything left to steep.
I think 0.01g is perfect.
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Because of all the rave reviews of the 501, I actually wanted to buy one after receiving my first scale that was pretty useless. Weight kept creeping up and down… unstable… not precise…different weight every time you weigh the same item.
I checked reviews for the LB on several sites and opinions are divided. People complain about the same issues for a scale that would cost me 3 times more + shipping + customs. So I dropped the idea, got myself a different one and it worked perfectly (even though it was only a third of the LB 501 price and free shipping and no customs).
These are all low budget scales that we’re discussing here and it’s all hit and miss to get a good one, no matter what brand you get. So if you get a bad one, don’t give up on it in frustration. Try to get a replacement or buy one from a different brand.
If you find that you’re running against the limitations of accuracy (like a drop doesn’t register)… get yourself a better suited tool for the job. It’s as simple as that really, and there’s plenty to choose from in the scales department.
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Fantastic.
From the way you’ve explained, it makes a real lot of sense to get a decent set of scales.
Gonna get my ass on ebay right now.
Thanks for your help!
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Had a really quick search, they’re properly cheap!!
What do you think of this one?
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If you’re going for el cheapo scales like that, check out amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=500g+0.01g+scale&qid=1574283246&ref=sr_pg_1
I’d definitely go for a 500g x 0.01g and while you’re at it, grab one of these too
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=0.001g+scale&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
Please copy/paste the url, ELR doesn’t parse them correctly, or simply search for 500g 0.01g scales and 0.001g scales
You may find similar on ebay if you prefer that platform.
500g x 0.01g and 100g x 0.001g
You should find both in the same price class.
But please remember, you can get a dud with unstable performance. Check it out as soon as you get it and get a replacement or refund if it doesn’t perform the way it should.
The type pictured in your ebay link was my first 500gx0.01g scale and it was very unstable. I’ve seen plenty other people that use them and are happy though.
The 0.1g scales are not really useful for our DIY mixing (unless you’re mixing liters of the same liquid at once).
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Your links just took me to a top level page. No scales shown.
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I see, don’t know how to fix it 
Copy/paste in a new tab should work. ELR just put a different link than what it displays
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@Prieur I’d like to say hi and welcome don’t hesitate to ask any question even if you think it’s silly
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I was looking for the 0.01 scale, at least i’m on the right track.
I’ll have a better search for a decent, code not 50p, set that’ll do the job without giving dodgy readings.
Thanks again.
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Yeah I saw the tag, spooky
you messed up the 2nd link though, 500g x 0.001g will be expensive scales lol
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Interesting how ELR is parsing these out.
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?tag=eliquidrecipe-21
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/s?tag=elrecipes-20
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Depending on how many bottles of flavors you have those press in adapters are cheap
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Thanks for this post @anon28032772 my 501 was takin a chit when this came up. Previously I had lightly considered the .001 because of the amount of SC’s I now use so the timing was good for me.
Now that I have one I cant sing the praises high enough. It was very enlightening for me to see just how far off my mixes were previously inspite of a pretty rigid grading system that I strive to achieve. A+ being within .01 without going over. .01 over would drop it to an A while multiple overs would keep dropping. Even within that system I can now see how inaccurate an A+ mix actually was ( I now have better control of this) which explains the batch to batch variance I would sometimes get!
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makes a difference, eh?? 
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