# 2017, recipe fade and DIY concentrates



## RichJB (29/12/16)

Hello all, warning: wall of text ahead. Apologies in advance but I needed to outline my thoughts fully on this and get it off my chest.

So Wayne's last few videos of 2016 unsurprisingly paint a rather bleak picture of the hardware scene in vaping while enthusing that DIY is on the up and will be the next big thing in 2017. According to him, nobody is watching Rip, Grimm, Daniel et al anymore because there is nothing exciting in hardware, it's just the same atties/mods being repackaged with slightly different design tweaks. But DIY... well, the sky's the limit.

I see his point and why he's taking that angle but I don't really agree. In 2015, Wayne declared Colton's Bangin' Bourbon Bread the Recipe of the Year. Did anybody even make it in 2016? There was certainly very little said about it. Six months ago, Goldfish won Wayne's World Mixing competition with his Apple Buttah. For three months, there was crazy hype around Apple Buttah. Now, in discussing Recipe of the Year for 2016, Wayne and his co-hosts dismissed Apple Buttah as "meh, it was good but it's not really an ADV and I haven't mixed it since the competition". 

So we have award-winning recipes that are sustaining for a few months and then people are moving on to "the next big thing". Is this any different from the hardware scene? On the forum, each new hardware announcement is met with posts enthusing "OMG, this looks great, the FOMO is too strong and I MUST get this!!!" Two months later, a bunch of the new atties are on sale in the Classifieds and the same people are now enthusing over the next "must have" piece of kit. In DIY, each new DIY hit recipe is greeted with "OMG, this is fantastic, I just found my ADV!!!!" Three weeks later, the same posters are claiming that the next new hit recipe is their ADV. In both cases, we are on a never-ending treadmill.

I've killed the hardware FOMO now. I have four mods and nine atties. They all do what I want and I don't need anything more. Yes, I can sell my old atties and keep buying new models in the hope and belief that the next one will be "the one". But I know already it won't be. So now I don't watch any of the reviewers anymore and don't even browse the Classifieds anymore. I have my gear and will replace it when it dies, not before.

In 2017, I've decided to do the same with DIY. Until now, I've done the typical DIY thing: chase every new recipe, buy concentrates just to use in one recipe, then discover that said recipe is really no better than fifty others I've made. The result is an ever-growing stock of concentrates, many of which are just gathering dust now. It's time to get off that treadmill and start rationalising.

From now on, every new recipe I try will face a brutal test. If it's something special and I can see myself making it over and over to be in my permanent rotation, it will become a keeper. If it's nothing special and no better than others I've tried, I'll delete the recipe and never make it again. 

I have enough concentrates currently to still make a vast array of hit recipes I haven't tried yet. I'll be selecting my eventual ADVs from those. As I select ADVs, I will note which concentrates I need and will only restock those. I'll use up the other concentrates trying out different recipes and if no winners emerge from those, I'll simply not reorder the concentrate once it's finished. Over time, the plan is to whittle my current +/-150 concentrates down to less than half that number.

I'll still be buying a lot of DIY stuff. But it will be restocks, not new concentrates. I'm done with buying some rare concentrate to use in one new hit recipe, finding it's nothing special, then sitting with 9ml of a concentrate that I'm not going to use.

I think the DIY FOMO is exactly the same state of mind as hardware FOMO. It's something we allow ourselves to be drawn into and it results in a never-ending search for something that doesn't exist. I want stability and peace of mind in 2017. I've got that in hardware already. I have what I need and I'm content with it. Now it's time to do the same with juice and DIY: get a few favourites and just stick with them. 

I used to be a bass fisherman and bass baits is the ultimate FOMO. The industry has a saying "That bait has caught a lot more fishermen than it's caught fish" and it's true. Bass anglers just have to have every shiny new bait on the market. I spoke to a grizzled bassing guide in the US who has caught more bass than I've had hot dinners. Of course, I wanted to know what baits he uses and I was greatly surprised to find out that he carries just half-a-dozen baits with him. He told me he'd tried every bait on the market and realised that none of them do anything that his favourite half-dozen don't. He still buys a lot of baits. But instead of buying thirty different new ones, he now just buys his favourite six - but five of each. He just restocks what he loses. He knows those baits, they work for him, he's happy with them and has satisfied himself that he doesn't need anything else. That strikes me as an eminently sensible approach.

So what are your plans and goals for DIY in 2017?

Reactions: Like 5 | Agree 3 | Winner 10 | Can relate 2


----------



## spiv (29/12/16)

I'm in the same place. I have the equipment I need and just mixed up a lot of highly rated recipes to steep. I've made the decision to not even mix more juice until this massive batch is finished. Good recipes will be remade, average ones won't. 
I want to simplify.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## PsyCLown (29/12/16)

I agree with the hardware reviews. Not much sparks my interest with the new hardware products being released.

As for DIY, well, I am still very new to it so my view is a bit different as I have not yet gotten to the point where you are.
So I would like to grow my concentrate collection and try those "hit recipes" where the hype only lasts 3 months or so. I helps me taste what DIY has to offer and might help me understand mixing better. What flavours pair well together, which to add to get a good base and which are good to an extra something or whatever.

Although all of that being said, what you said makes complete sense for someone in your position. Your DIY experience and knowledge compared to someone new to the DIY scene is very different. As stated DIY is on the up and coming and there will be a lot more n00bs trying their hand at DIY and I am sure they too will want to experience all these different "hit juices" which fade out of popularity quickly.
When you start with no concentrates, it isn't too much of an issue to purchase concentrates for these hit recipes as it is just helping you grow your collection and unlikely you will go from purchasing commercial juice to trying to make your own recipes from scratch as soon as you start DIY - chances are you will fail miserably. I think it is better to follow a few good recipes and try out some others to see what works and what doesn't, what flavours you might and might not like. Get a better understanding on how to put together a recipe and what it really consists of.

These hit recipes and DIY FOMO is what helps keep it interesting at times for new mixers and perhaps even some older ones.
It is new content, gets people thinking and discussing.

So I guess everyone is on the same journey, just different parts of the journey.

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## Rob Fisher (29/12/16)

Happily the DIY bug hasn't bitten me yet... I do have the scale and a fair selction of concentrates but have yet to dive in... so I'm looking forward to that this coming year...

My problem is I have discovered High End (HE) vape gear... this is very exciting... I hope my mid Jan I will be set hardware wise and I may turn to the DIY scene for my kicks.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Michaelsa (29/12/16)

I think it shall be incredibly and increasingly enticing to those newcomers to the Hobbiest side of things. As it caters to those who don't have a very large vape budget. 
It opens you up to the artistry side of our world. 

In which one can create what they will. 
It simply, for me, increases the road on which we journey. 


With the vast majority of new tech, i.e. Mods and RDAs, they all carry a very large price tag. 


I can only say that I am incredibly excited for the year to come in vaping

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 1


----------



## Max (29/12/16)

Same page @RichJB - 2017 - However - I need to achieve the High End range on eLiquids and revolve them.

I'm on the road a lot and need cool travel kits - which has be achieved - now it's time to perfect some eLiquids.

When I started vaping I purchased butterscotch - banana - peanut butter eJuices - one in particular - Uncle Junk's Junkyard Scotch - and at this time there is a little more tweaking to do to have mine "Spot On". 

So during 2017 I want to perfect my DIY - and having a tremendous amount of fun doing all this.

I will be perfecting my "Cool Dark" Storage space for storing all my goodies and concentrates.

Again - all the best to all the Forumites & your Families for 2017

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Huffapuff (29/12/16)

DIY, just like vaping hardware, is a system driven by the desire for the "Next Big Thing". If you're trapped in the cycle you will never have enough, no matter how much you have. 

But, with the current crop of concentrates available to us DIYers there are only so many flavour profiles we can create. I mean, how many strawberry cream recipes are there?! You only have to look at FA's latest concentrates to see that they're essentially mixing their own concentrates together to come up with "new" flavours.

What does save DIY though, is the vastness of what we can do with what's available. As I get tired of tobaccos I move onto bakeries, then I dive into alcohols or move into fruits. I swing from sweet to savory to tart to something new. It's going to take a long time before I get through all that's available! 

What helps though is knowing what you personally like. The moment I see strawberry in a recipe I move on - it's a tired profile and after a while they all taste the same to me. So I haven't even restocked the TPA Strawberry that I'm running out of. 

But trying to find the best recipe for the profiles you love is the real joy for me. Whether I'm building a recipe from scratch or tweaking one I like, there seems to be no end to the adventure of DIY

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## RichJB (29/12/16)

PsyCLown said:


> These hit recipes and DIY FOMO is what helps keep it interesting at times for new mixers and perhaps even some older ones.
> It is new content, gets people thinking and discussing.



Agreed. I'm not going to stop tinkering or looking up recipes. I'll find a dozen or so recipes that really work for me, mix those as my staples and keep those concentrates in stock. I'll still try my own mixes but it will be with those concentrates I already have for my ADVs. I'll also keep tinkering with hit recipes and tweaking them according to my taste.

If a new recipe lights up ELR or ATF and it contains the concentrates I already have, I'll surely give it a whirl. I'm just going to avoid buying once-off concentrates to get in on the hype of a new recipe. Because I know already that it's not going to deliver anything that current hit recipes don't deliver. I'll also avoid buying flavours because "ooh, that looks interesting". That is no longer enough reason for me.

Yesterday I was filling up my cart and grabbed FW Blueberry. Then I thought to myself hang on, why do I need this? I went to ELR, looked up the top-rated recipes that use FW Blueberry and there was nothing that pushed my buttons. I have no plans to make my own killer blueberry recipe and I'm not dying for a good blueberry vape. So why did I want it again? Ah yes, it's because NotCharlesManson rates it as the best blueberry. But is that a reason to have it? It isn't for me. Three weeks ago, it was. But not any longer. So I just put it back on the shelf and replaced it with Vanilla Swirl. Because I know I'll use that up - and twenty more bottles of it after that. It's a staple in many hit recipes.

It's a case of just narrowing down my focus and staying with what works.



Huffapuff said:


> But, with the current crop of concentrates available to us DIYers there are only so many flavour profiles we can create. I mean, how many strawberry cream recipes are there?!



Ain't that the truth.  I mixed up skiddlz's God Milk last week and my first thought was "I have had this juice before, and not just once either". Yes, it's fractionally different from the 10 001 other strawberry milks/creams out there. But not enough to warrant being anything special imo. I don't mind mixing it because it uses common ingredients that I use in dozens of other recipes too. But if I'd gone out and bought Flv Manky Curds and Whey to make it, I'd be feeling a bit irked about it now.

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


----------



## Silver (29/12/16)

Winner write up @RichJB !
So well explained 

My wife asked me today "whats happening on the forum?" - so I read her your piece. She just smiled and said to me - yes, you need to just have one mod and one juice!

I get you fully on the hardware story - several of my (well researched) recent buys have been a nice change but nothing revolutionary. I still do like opening up and playing with a new device from time to time and figuring out how it works and getting it "optimised". After about 2-3 months of no new gear, i crave something.

As for DIY i am but a total noob. Have been reading the DIY threads for months with admiration and excitement. I guess i need to go through the learning curve and the ramp up before I can simplify.

But on the point of keeping things simple - I know its possible. And its very sensible. For me, I guess I would be happy with just my Strawberry Menthol in my subtank mini /Lemo1 and my Blackbird in my Reo. They do provide me with about 60% of my vaping and are my pillars, my workhorses. 

But trying out new juices from time to time is just so exciting for me that I will probably never stop buying a few commercial juices each month. That anticipation of the first vape and then sitting with it trying to describe how it tastes is very appealing to me. Not knowing whether it will be a winner or not is the fun part for me.

So in summary, I would like to keep my "core" quite simple but have plenty fun excursions along the way, without too much expectation.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1 | Winner 2


----------



## RichJB (29/12/16)

Fully agreed, @Silver. I think my feelings can be best summed up by the Smok H-Priv mod. When that came out, I had major FOMO. I scoured every vendor to find the cheapest price, read/watched every review of it I could find, browsed the Classifieds every morning. About six weeks later, the hype had died down, the Alien came out and attention shifted to that. Now everybody is moaning about the paint peeling on the Alien, nobody is even talking about the H-Priv anymore and there are plenty for sale in the Classifieds. If I'd bought it, I would have had an hour of excitement unpacking it and setting it up. But by now, it would be just like every other mod I've got - I push the button and it heats the coils. Why did I spend so many hours agonising over something which is ultimately so unremarkable?

I've got to that point with juice now too. Until now, my attention hasn't been on the juice in my atty. It's on the juices in the steeping cupboard, the concentrates I don't have and the recipes I haven't tried. I'm so focused on what I don't have, and what lies ahead, that I'm not savouring what I do have. It's time to stop the bus, smell the flowers and enjoy what I have now, rather than agitating about what I don't have. 

I will still experiment with mixing, still try new things. But it's more about being happy with what I know are top juices now, rather than constantly chasing rainbows and ending up with the same as what I already have.

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 3 | Winner 2


----------



## Dooky (29/12/16)

At the end of the day it's all just vaporware

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


----------



## craigb (29/12/16)

RichJB said:


> I'm so focused on what I don't have, and what lies ahead, that I'm not savouring what I do have. It's time to stop the bus, smell the flowers and enjoy what I have now, rather than agitating about what I don't have.



Some very philosophical waxing that we can apply to more than just our vape lifestyle.

If I could rate that post 1 trillion times "winner" I would, but alas, 1 will have to suffice.

Reactions: Thanks 1


----------



## Silver (29/12/16)

RichJB said:


> Fully agreed, @Silver. I think my feelings can be best summed up by the Smok H-Priv mod. When that came out, I had major FOMO. I scoured every vendor to find the cheapest price, read/watched every review of it I could find, browsed the Classifieds every morning. About six weeks later, the hype had died down, the Alien came out and attention shifted to that. Now everybody is moaning about the paint peeling on the Alien, nobody is even talking about the H-Priv anymore and there are plenty for sale in the Classifieds. If I'd bought it, I would have had an hour of excitement unpacking it and setting it up. But by now, it would be just like every other mod I've got - I push the button and it heats the coils. Why did I spend so many hours agonising over something which is ultimately so unremarkable?
> 
> I've got to that point with juice now too. Until now, my attention hasn't been on the juice in my atty. It's on the juices in the steeping cupboard, the concentrates I don't have and the recipes I haven't tried. I'm so focused on what I don't have, and what lies ahead, that I'm not savouring what I do have. It's time to stop the bus, smell the flowers and enjoy what I have now, rather than agitating about what I don't have.
> 
> I will still experiment with mixing, still try new things. But it's more about being happy with what I know are top juices now, rather than constantly chasing rainbows and ending up with the same as what I already have.



Agreed @RichJB 
In many ways, true wealth is being happy with (and enjoying) what you've got - not always chasing.

Reactions: Agree 4


----------



## Dolfie (29/12/16)

W


Silver said:


> Agreed @RichJB
> In many ways, true wealth is being happy with (and enjoying) what you've got - not always chasing.


 Nice post @RichJB

Reactions: Agree 2 | Thanks 1


----------



## Warlock (30/12/16)

Thanks for your “brave” post @RichJB

I understand you absolutely. Seven Mods, 160 odd concentrates (many unused), 93 recipes. And if I close my eyes and hold my nose I don’t know what I’m vaping.

And then one reaches the age of reason.

I started this to stop smoking, that was 6 months ago. I no longer have the fear of a relapse as I did in the beginning.

I have a good many nice vapes and they will do.

And like you, I have had the Tiger by the tail ...

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Winner 2 | Thanks 1


----------



## Max (30/12/16)

Hi @Warlock - are you well   - 2017 will see our recent discussions come to pass and so frikken excited about some more options available.


----------



## rogue zombie (30/12/16)

For quite a few months now I have not been making EVERY hot new recipe.

Fortunately I have owned a massive amount of concentrates over the last couple of years, and tried sooooo much recipes.

So, now I can be selective on what I make, because A - I can see at percentages used and what concentrates were used whether I will like it. And B - I definitely know what I like now. So I don't try nearly as much as I used to.

I am also the sort of person that is OCD about wasting. I bought TFA Cheescake in the first month of DIYing - used in in a few recipes, didn't like any. But it took over a year to throw it away, just because I couldn't "waste". So now I am very wary of what I buy, concentrates wise.

Don't get me wrong though, I am still always looking for a special recipe.

Hardware FOMO - what's that?
I only really experienced it for a Reo because I knew it ticked all the right boxes for me. Otherwise I just want something small and reliable, that works well.

Reactions: Like 3


----------

