DIY - What's the Catch

[Glytch]

I've been doing some research on mixing my own e-liquids and pricing the various bases, concentrates etc. I've done some calculations and it seems you can make 30ml of your own liquid for around R25 - R30 per 30ml.

This sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?

- Do they not taste as good as premium liquids?
- Do you get bored of the same flavours?
- Is there some wastage of the bases that I'm not accounting for?
- Does it take too long?
- Do DIY liquids not vape as well as premium liquids in most mods?

I'm just struggling to see how you can produce e-liquid at a fraction of the cost of commercially available liquids.

 

[Dane]

From my experience your estimates on cost is quite accurate. It obviously depends on % of total flavouring and nicotine but you could average out at that price or even less.

On the commercial juice you have to account for other factors such as child lock bottles, attractive labelling, marketing, distribution, facilities for manufacturing, time, R&D etc.

There are a lot recipes out there that 'taste' very much premium and in many cases better than the commercially available juices. It comes down to whether you feel the time spent on experimenting to find what you like vs. just buying what you already like is worth it...

I love DIY because it is a hobby for me and also I like variety without breaking the bank.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[PsyCLown]

Hmm, well you need to either follow recipe's which can be hit or miss, or you need to try and mix your own juices which comes down to trial and error and a looot of tinkering.

Generally you need to wait for the juice to steep as well, I found that 7 days is the average for the juices I have tried. Before then some can be rather unpleasant.

It takes time and effort as well as a slight learning curve, this is the main one. Not everyone will be willing to do this.

Otherwise DIY can be far better than store purchased juices and certainly cheaper as well. If you want to try some DIY recipe's without purchasing all of the flavours check out www.flavrvape.co.za they offer an awesome DIY mixing service where you pick a recipe and they will make it for you and ship it to you - still works out cheaper than store purchased juices. I'd recommend trying a few various recipe's, perhaps even clones which are highly recommended.

 

[Warlock]

Hi @Glytch, I have the same dilemma. I’m hoping someone will explain it here soon. In the mean time I’m just going to go in head first and see what happens.

 

[Glytch]

I love DIY because it is a hobby for me and also I like variety without breaking the bank.

Thanks for the reply. Cost is the main factor for me. I have a budget of R700pm for coils and juice. I'm moving from a Twisp to a iStick Pico 75W + Melo 3 and I've read that sub-ohm tanks eat through liquid. I want to stay within budget with the new device so I'm looking at DIYing my juice.

 

[MoneymanVape]

Yes it is cheaper. You will how ever waste a bit in the beginning. But with alot of research and patience you can make your own e liquid and will appeal to your own pallet. The best way is starting with the basics. For example if you like fruits search for recipe. There are didfrent makes and they all tast diffrent. Buy a couple on flavours plus the bases eg pg, vg and nic. Mix 5ml batches without nic. Steep for couple days shaking each day. Drip it and see if you like it. Tweak if you need to. Take notes LOTS of notes. Wgat you used, how mutch what brand hiw long did you steep when did you make it etc. I use a small scale but you can use small syringe. It does take a while. But ita fun. Once you have 1 or 2 you like make them add nix and use it. Already you are buying less. And carry on searching for new idees. The best is research. But i personally found making my own resepies were somewhat better than what i found. But you can always modify resepies found on the net.
Good luck.

 

[Glytch]

If you want to try some DIY recipe's without purchasing all of the flavours check out www.flavrvape.co.za they offer an awesome DIY mixing service where you pick a recipe and they will make it for you and ship it to you - still works out cheaper than store purchased juices.

That is f!@#ing cool!

 

[Silver]

Hi @Glytch

I am no DIY expert but have dabbled a bit

I think your questions are spot on
No catch really

But i think it does take a lot of time and effort and many tries to get a juice thats great and then perfect it. So time and effort to get the perfect recipe for you is probably the big catch.

Then the effort to mix it and steep it and keep on ordering the concentrates and the other ingredients.

I see it in many ways like eating out at a restaurant versus cooking at home.

You can get a great restaurant that makes an awesome meal and the whole experience is quite amazing. But you pay up for it

Or you can cook at home and make whatever you like. Most likely more cost effective but you have to peel the potatoes, prepare the sauces and wash the dishes afterwards...

Probably not the best analogy but i like it.

I have dabbled a bit in DIY but find myself so consumed with tasting juices from the awesome local mixologists and trying to review them when I can. I do plan to get more into DIY when time permits though...

 

[Jan]

I have a feeling your estimates are a bit low
I reckon R40 bucks for 30ml is more realistic.

Remember there are variables that influence your cost. Some liquids requires 10% flavour concentrate and some as much as 22% the other one that can have a big influence on your cost is your nic strength it is much cheaper to make a 6mg liquid than a 18mg and then there is the quality of your bottles a glass bottle is much more expensive than a plastic one.

There are a few downsides to DIY
1) Capital outlay, you need to spend a few $'s to get started.
2) Finding good recipes, making a liquid that you actually like can be a challenge.
3) Steeping, if you buy a juice it is ready to vape if you DIY you sometimes have to wait a week or two before you can vape it.

But in the end if you can master it you can save you a lot of money and it gives a new dimension to your vaping

 

[Warlock]

Ok so my post came in a bit late, but thank you @Dane and @PsyCLown

 

[Glytch]

1) Capital outlay, you need to spend a few $'s to get started.

I hear you but the way I see it if I'm spending +- R500 on Juice a month that can get me started quite nicely. Especially if I order 3 concentrates for a tried and tested recipe. I'll vape it regardless of taste till I buy more concentrates the next month.

 

[Warlock]

Can youall just stand still for a moment!! Thank you @Silver and @Jan as well

 

[Silver]

I hear you but the way I see it if I'm spending +- R500 on Juice a month that can get me started quite nicely. Especially if I order 3 concentrates for a tried and tested recipe. I'll vape it regardless of taste till I buy more concentrates the next month.

There is a thread @Glytch where DiYers show how many flavour concentrates they have
Most are above 30 or 40 or more

If you find a recipe and get those 3 concentrates and mix it, you may need to wait a week till it steeps properly and then absolutely hate it. Would be difficult to vape that for a whole month!

I would suggest rather finding 3 or 4 recipes you can make from say 5 to 8 concentrates. Some work in various recipes and go well with many things. Then make 3 juices. But also, get some ready made juice you know you like as well to keep you going if you dont like the recipes...

May be a slightly bigger upfront cost but at least you have a better chance to get something you like

 

[PsyCLown]

I hear you but the way I see it if I'm spending +- R500 on Juice a month that can get me started quite nicely. Especially if I order 3 concentrates for a tried and tested recipe. I'll vape it regardless of taste till I buy more concentrates the next month.

Look, my friends and I tried a whole lot of recipe's and got it from Flavrvape before we decided to pick a few recipe's and get some flavours for those recipe's and we did get one or two which were not to my personal preference. Ironically 2 are really popular recipe's which are often highly recommended, soo... Just be careful and expect a few flavours you dislike.

 

[Glytch]

I would suggest rather finding 3 or 4 recipes you can make from say 5 to 8 concentrates. Some work in various recipes and go well with many things. Then make 3 juices. But also, get some ready made juice you know you like as well to keep you going if you dont like the recipes...

Good advice. Thanks.

 

[Jan]

I hear you but the way I see it if I'm spending +- R500 on Juice a month that can get me started quite nicely. Especially if I order 3 concentrates for a tried and tested recipe. I'll vape it regardless of taste till I buy more concentrates the next month.

In theory yes, but trust me I have tasted some horrible recipes
I think you should try and budget a bit more and have 10-12 concentrates plus all the additives like sweetener koolada etc. But give it a go I also want to get back in the Diy game for the purpose of saving money and to have juice I can waste in a good tank and a big mod

 

[Viper_SA]

If you tell us what you usually vape we would be able to assist with concentrates to buy etc. Some of my recipes cost me lime R50 for a 100ml at 3mg nic. One of my favorites only uses 2 concentrates. And I have subbed out one of them to a more concentrated concentrate to use less and save more. I made liters of crap juice, but still vaped some of it. Now, I'm happy with my stuff and enjoy most of it more than store bought juices.

 

[Slick]

As a diy mixer for about a year now,i would highly suggest getting a scale from Valley vapour,it makes it so much more enjoyable, I can't even think how I managed to use syringes and pipettes,Yes diy requires alot of time,but when u mix up something that tastes good,and other people like it as well,that feeling is unexplainable!

 

[Effjh]

No catch. It's the most liberating experience so far for me since I started the vaping journey. I wasted tons of cash trying to find my ADV. With DIY I got to try a lot of different flavour profiles that I would not have taken a chance on buying commercial juices in the fear of wasting money.

The learning curve really is obsolete nowadays as there are tons of really good recipes available that others have already done the ground work on. DIYORDIE is a good starting point for tried and tested good recipes. Also check out Alltheflavours, very useful tool and many great recipes.

BUY A SCALE. Just do it. Cuts the mixing time and effort so much. I can mix a month's worth of juice in 10mins using a scale.

DIY is going to be a very important skill in the near future and it is as easy now to get into as ever. Jump onboard and enjoy the ride.

 

[Trashcanman3284]

My two cents as a new DIYer. Everything said above is what I've experienced so far. LOTS of trial and error, LOTS of notes, and quite a bit of crap liquid mixed. I started by just buying a few concentrates without really having looked at many recipes and ended up with some dissapointing results. One cherry menthol concoction of mine can be sold to clean ovens. Then looked at recipes I thought would be a nice vape and bought concentrates accordingly. The results were mixed, but it did teach me loads. The catch for me is the time factor. Not only the steeping time, but the actual time spent mixing. My calculations are currently sitting between R35 to R45 per 30ml depending on the number of concentrates used and % flavour.

 

[RichJB]

The big thing about DIY is that you get to practise your powers of imagination. Mainly by tasting your own juices and imagining to yourself "Wow, this is way better than any commercial juice I've tasted!"

Seriously, though, it's a good deal. I had only ever vaped the VaporFi range of juices before starting my own. And everything I've done is at least on par with those juices. I have never mixed anything I couldn't vape with ease, nor even anything that I couldn't wait to finish. I have no doubt that there are some, probably many, commercial juices that are tastier than my own. But 5X the cost tastier? Hmmm. The way I look at it is this: a Michelin Star restaurant meal is going to be a lot tastier than the cottage pie I make at home. But do I want to eat at a Michelin Star restaurant three times a day? I don't need to drink a 30 year old collectors' vintage in order to enjoy wine. A cheaper bottle or even Chateau Cardboard will do as a daily tipple. I don't need to eat imported Belgian chocolate. A Cadbury's bar will do. An occasional more expensive treat is fine and I think it's good and healthy to support local juice manufacturers. But I don't need the best that money can buy in anything else. Why would I need it in vaping?

If you had to mix crazily complex combinations to get anything decent in DIY, it might be too much hassle. But you don't. Right now, I'm vaping plain TFA Bananas Foster in my Avo24. Nothing else, just 10% Bananas Foster in a 50:50 mix. And it's perfectly decent. I'm getting a nice aroma of banana dessert, and I'm getting "sugar lips" from the odd bit of juice on my lips. It might not send me into raptures of ecstasy and it won't win me any prizes. But at this cost, it doesn't need to. You don't expect champagne when you're paying for Coke.

 

[Glytch]

My two cents as a new DIYer. Everything said above is what I've experienced so far. LOTS of trial and error, LOTS of notes, and quite a bit of crap liquid mixed. I started by just buying a few concentrates without really having looked at many recipes and ended up with some dissapointing results. One cherry menthol concoction of mine can be sold to clean ovens. Then looked at recipes I thought would be a nice vape and bought concentrates accordingly. The results were mixed, but it did teach me loads. The catch for me is the time factor. Not only the steeping time, but the actual time spent mixing. My calculations are currently sitting between R35 to R45 per 30ml depending on the number of concentrates used and % flavour.

Thanks. I like simplicity so I reckon a few concentrates will serve me well.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[PsiSan]

Really nice replies, think that covers most of it. There is not really a catch except there is no such thing as enough concentrates. But list what flavors you like and we can help you pick out what you would need to get started as @Jan said 10 - 12 concentrates is recommended. Personally I prefer my own juice to commercial juice, the scale does make life much easier, but if you are on a budget working without one is not really that hard if you got some basic kitchen utensils. and time wise is not that bad. Steeping can become a problem if you are impatient like me, as not all juice is shake-a-vape compatible

 

[Huffapuff]

DIY is the best part of vaping for me. And there really is no catch*

Initially you need to spend some cash getting the basics, but that's no different to when you started vaping and bought your first device - it was way more expensive than a box of smokes, but in the long run it's cheaper (provided you DIY this too!)

But you can pick up 10 concentrates for the cost of 60mls of the international commercial juices and those concentrates will last for months.

Check out Valley Vapour's bulk order specials (buy 10 and get 10% off means you get one concentrate for free) - a great way to start.

There can be a lot of trial and error at first as you learn, but you can get around this by using established and popular recipes from people like HeadinClouds (HIC) or DIYORDIE. See what they offer and trial their recipes out in the beginning. This way you won't waste much as you learn.

As you begin to understand how juices are created you can get into the experimenting - which is where the real fun is. But to get that initial return on investment just find 3 or 4 reliable recipes and get the ingredients you need for those. Vape these while you build up your flavour stash.

Within a few of months you'll start saving cash and be really enjoying yourself while vaping some awesome juices

*I lied, there is a catch: Once you start DIY you'll always be wanting more flavours and newer recipes. You'll start tasting and smelling everything in a new light and breaking it down into base notes and top notes and trying to find a way to replicate it. You'll walk through the supermarket and be seeing everything in flavour profiles and wondering if that apple juice could be done with 2% FA Fuji Apple and 1% TFA Apple...

You know what - just run now, get out while you still can. There's still hope for you!

 

[Andre]

When you start out vaping you have no idea which types of juice you will like. So, one spends a lot of money getting to know your tastes. Once you have an idea, you look at the commercial juices and reviews thereof (if available) and try to match that with your preferences. Still, not all will suit your taste. And you do want to experiment with new sensations from time to time. A few more fails result. All in all it can become quite expensive.

I started DIYing about 4 months ago. My first port of call was to search for good recipes, which suit my tastes. I also researched the individual concentrates of each recipe. Then I bought the flavour concentrates for those recipes. And the other stuff required (PG/VG/Nicotine/bottles, scale). A scale is a godsend. Quite a capital investment to start off, but you can cater it to your purse.

Made 10 ml testers. Tasted and made bigger quantities of those I liked. For those first recipes my hit rate for keepers was in the high 90 percent. The better your research, the better your results. I did not and still do not try to make my own concoctions as a rule, other than tweaking existing recipes to my taste. Try to keep enough commercial juices of your liking at hand for those beginning stages - so you can get through the testing period, allow your creations to cure/steep and build up your own stock.

As you go along you learn a lot. You learn whose recipes you can trust and whose not, which concentrates you do not like, etcetera. You can consult with the DIY experts on this forum if you have questions. Via threads or via PM.

Here are some resources for you:

1. There is this person, HeadinClouds (HIC), on VapingUnderground. He has a lot of recipes on there. I have yet to make one that is not good. If I like the taste profile of one of his recipes I skip the 10 ml tester and go straight to 30 ml. He also has a little store where he sells recipes for around $3 each. These are all winners too. You can find this store here. He mainly uses FA concentrates, which are more concentrated than most other brands around, which make them more economical.
2. www.e-liquid-recipes.com is a great site if you use it correctly. Register for free. You can then input all your concentrates and the system will tell you which recipes you can make with those concentrates. It lists all concentrates with notes and recipes for those. People submit recipes and other members can rate those recipes. If you click on the "ratings" header it will sort all the recipes from those with the highest and most ratings. When I started off I went through the top ones and picked those that suited my tastes. Read the comments to a recipe - it teaches you a lot.
3. As others said above, www.diyordievaping.com is also a good resource. I do not use them much as most of their recipes do not suit me.
4. You can pick up some gems on Reddit as well.
5. Do take the trouble to read through this forum's DIY threads. I learned a lot from them.

Yes, @Huffapuff is more than correct. With discipline DIY can save you a lot of money, but it can be an endless rabbit hole too. I am well down this rabbit hole!