# Giving up DIY



## solantis

I've been DIYing for over a year now and compared to many of the "premium" juices out there I don't come close.

When DIYing my primary goal is flavour rich juice. I've tried various recipes and with maybe 2 or 3 exceptions most of them come out fairly week.

So I'm thinking of giving up because it's feeling like a waste of time but before doing that I thought I'd take a final throw of the side and ask you guys to give me a few tried and tested recipes that are rich in flavour to give me some motivation to continue.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3 | Informative 1


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## DizZyRaScaL

+1

I share the same experience that is why I now use one shots solely.

Reactions: Agree 2 | Winner 1 | Informative 1


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## Rob Fisher

I feel your pain @solantis! I have tried DIY three times without sucess!

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2 | Informative 1


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## Adephi

solantis said:


> I've been DIYing for over a year now and compared to many of the "premium" juices out there I don't come close.
> 
> When DIYing my primary goal is flavour rich juice. I've tried various recipes and with maybe 2 or 3 exceptions most of them come out fairly week.
> 
> So I'm thinking of giving up because it's feeling like a waste of time but before doing that I thought I'd take a final throw of the side and ask you guys to give me a few tried and tested recipes that are rich in flavour to give me some motivation to continue.



What recipes have you tried before? Maybe a few adjustments might change your mind.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Wimmas

+1, same experience as you. Moved to one shots and premium juice. I still have many concentrates which I think I will probably pif to someone on need soon. 

Sent from my WAS-LX1 using Tapatalk

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## GSM500

solantis said:


> I've been DIYing for over a year now and compared to many of the "premium" juices out there I don't come close.
> 
> When DIYing my primary goal is flavour rich juice. I've tried various recipes and with maybe 2 or 3 exceptions most of them come out fairly week.
> 
> So I'm thinking of giving up because it's feeling like a waste of time but before doing that I thought I'd take a final throw of the side and ask you guys to give me a few tried and tested recipes that are rich in flavour to give me some motivation to continue.


Persistence is the secret ingredient.

Reactions: Agree 6 | Winner 1


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## takatatak

@solantis - Sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction with DIY e-liquid... 

First and foremost, did you use sweetener when you mixed DIY recipes? Many DIY mixers exclude sweetener from their recipes for various reasons; some for health concerns, some people don't like sweet juice etc.

I can pretty much guarantee that most "premium" juice is using sucralose as its primary sweetener. Some use monk fruit or stevia extract but the vast majority are using CAP Super Sweet or a similar product like FW Sweetener, FLV Sweetness etc. Of those, FLV Sweetness is the best in terms of quality but it's also the most expensive. CAP Super Sweet is definitely the most common...

If you've previously mixed without sweetener, try adding 0.5% of the sweetener of your choice. It will be sweet but probably not as sweet as some commercial juice which could be as high as 2% sweetener 

You can also add to existing mixes of you have any on hand... Adding about 1 drop per 6ml would equate to about 0.5% sweetener...

If you need more help or recipe recommendations, then just let us know what flavour profile you enjoy

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 6 | Winner 2 | Informative 1


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## zadiac

@solantis, maybe post the recipe of one of your "best" efforts here and we can tell you where you can improve on it. 

I cannot even imagine not making my own juice. I do buy juice once in a while, but I've been making my own for so long now that it's become part of my normal household rituals. If I stop doing it, I'll probably go into withdrawal.......lol

Reactions: Agree 6 | Funny 2


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## solantis

I really enjoy the craft of making eLiquid but with unsatisfying results.

I've tried various sweeteners and yes it does sweeten the juice up but does bring out the flavour profiles in a vivid way as desired.

I've tried one shots and they are amazing. Guess that would be my next best option then.

But if anyone has any guaranteed flavour rich recipe please post it.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Jean claude Vaaldamme

I also found that most off these recipes suck. They have all these nice discriptions, but they suck. Then went to one shots. Yes some of them suck too, but hey many commercial juice suck aswell. So once I got one shots that I like, I could start playing around with making my own recipes and play around with them till they dont suck, and you always have your oneshots as backup

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Thanks 1 | Informative 1


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## Faiyaz Cheulkar

I think the secret to rich flavour is too much flavor. I DIY and occasionally use nasty one shots. The recommended flavor ratio is 25% ! None of my DIY has 25% flavoring. also, most commercial juices are filled with sweeteners to fill your mouth.
No one knows what actually goes into premium juices. I would say its safer to stick to DIY.
Maybe you can meet up with some of the DIYers and try their mixes. if you are in cape town, you can come to the monthly vape meets.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 3 | Informative 2


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## Vilaishima

What flavour profiles do you like?
I buy some one shots for ease of use but have several recipes that are part of my staple.

I have to agree that a lot of DIY recipes are terrible. Which recipes have you tried?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Jean claude Vaaldamme

Faiyaz Cheulkar said:


> I think the secret to rich flavour is too much flavor. I DIY and occasionally use nasty one shots. The recommended flavor ratio is 25% ! None of my DIY has 25% flavoring. also, most commercial juices are filled with sweeteners to fill your mouth.
> No one knows what actually goes into premium juices. I would say its safer to stick to DIY.
> Maybe you can meet up with some of the DIYers and try their mixes. if you are in cape town, you can come to the monthly vape meets.


I dont think that its 25% flavour. Red pill oneshot is 22%, but my guess will be its normal 3-5% concentrates and they just fill the oneshot bottle with PG and give you a higher % to mix at

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Puff the Magic Dragon

What do you guys think ? :

@KZOR 
@RichJB 
@Rude Rudi 
@Andre 
@StompieZA 

I tend to agree with @Faiyaz Cheulkar . A high percentage of concentrates and plenty of sweetener in the commercial juices.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## Faiyaz Cheulkar

Jean claude Vaaldamme said:


> I dont think that its 25% flavour. Red pill oneshot is 22%, but my guess will be its normal 3-5% concentrates and they just fill the oneshot bottle with PG and give you a higher % to mix at


very much possible, i dont trust them to give me 100% value for my money. but when most of my mixes at even 15% dont give as much flavour as the nasty juice range or some commercial juices you start thinking that the flavour percentages are much higher in them. This or the DIY flavours I am buying are diluted with PG too.


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## Faiyaz Cheulkar

I wish there were some affordable lab tests available for us to analyze and compare commercial juices with our DIY. This would once and for all solve the arguments like Flavour percentages and why some nicotine is harsher than the other etc.

Reactions: Agree 3


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## GSM500

Also need to consider the PG, VG and Nic that is being used. Or is it a premixed base that you are using? I have heard that there have been some issues around the flavour and harshness when using some of these.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Andre

Fact is many, many commercial juices and one shots started off as DIY juices. 

To make a successful DIY juice takes a lot of effort and time. For me, after about 2 years I felt like I was making headway to satisfy my personal taste. Now, about 4 years down the line, I have more than enough ADVs to keep me going and more. 

Yes, at first glance it might seem as if your DIY efforts do not compare to premium commercial juices, but take into consideration that to bring that commercial juice to market also takes a lot of effort and time. You are tasting a commercial juice, which might have taken more than a year to develop and perfect. Or have taken countless iterations, which most DIyers do not have time for. Still, not every commercial juice or one shot you taste is going to suit you. For me, most are too sweet, but sweeter is the general preference out there and the sweet makes the flavours more pronounced. Unfortunately the less sweet commercial juices struggle in the market place.

Once you understand your personal preferences and individual concentrates, DIY starts to pay off. You can see at a glance if a DIY recipe will suit your taste and if it needs tweaking for your taste. For example, Orango Passion by our own TVF I immediately knew is up my alley, but that the CAP Jelly Candy would make it too sweet for me. So I decreased same from 0.75 % to 0.25 % and added 0.25 % TFA Sour as an added insurance and more pop. And a touch of WS-23 for cool. As tweaked, it is perfect for my taste. Just the other day, @X-Calibre786 gave feedback on a recipe I reported and developed further. And he added sweetener and a coolant for his personal taste.

After some years, developing your own DIY recipes also becomes a lot easier.

So, 3 ADVs after a year is good. After 2 years, with the added experience, it could be 10 and so on...

All is not lost, as @GSM500 says above "Persistence is the secret ingredient"!

PS: For more flavour rich juices have you considered using more PG? Being a MTL vaper I mix at 40PG/60VG, for some tobacco juices even at 50PG/50VG, some NET tobaccos with distilled water added.

Reactions: Like 6 | Agree 3 | Winner 1 | Informative 2


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## RichJB

The other thing to remember is that 99% of DIY recipes aren't fully batched and refined as recipes. Even Wayne admits that most of the recipes he publishes are only "90% there". It's the last 10% that will separate a really good commercial juice from a DIY recipe. That is accepted, commercial developers have the time and resources to put into that last 10%. They can make a hundred different batches of a recipe and test what the minor tweaks add to the juice. A DIYer will make maybe three batches, one of them is quite tasty and they'll release the recipe.

Of course there are also many DIY recipes that are horrible. It's an open field, anybody can post any recipe. People are desperate for recognition so they've been mixing for two weeks and they post their 10% FA Dark Bean 15% TFA Bavarian Cream recipe in the hope that the world will laud them for cracking the espresso code and giving us a recipe for the ages. It's the same reason why people who are tone deaf and can't sing a note will line up to audition for American Idol. 

Juice is also like food. You can make your own hamburgers or pizza at home but it will never taste like a Big Mac or a Debonair's pizza. There are proprietary additives which they put into their sauces and which your home-made food won't have. Again, they have the time and the resources to develop these things. The fettucine alfredo I make at home will be nowhere near the same dish served by a Michelin star restaurant. But... so what? Am I now going to eat out every night at Michelin star restaurants, simply because it's more tasty? Food is more important than vapour, yet we often are satisfied with just a bowl of cornflakes or a peanut butter sandwich. You don't need everything you consume to be a delicious work of art prepared by a professional.

I choose DIY not just for cost factors but for the creative pleasure. Yes, a lot of juices will suck. But none of them have killed me. Sure, I've finished some of my own juices with "lang tande", and I've flushed many others. But I'm still here. My life hasn't been ruined by them. I don't lie awake at night agonising "if only I'd vaped a commercial juice rather than my own DIY juice this time last year, my life would be so much more complete". 

And then you get that moment when you mix up a recipe and you think hey, this is actually pretty good. That's the reward I keep coming back for.

There are many areas where I am more than happy to live with commercial products. I don't have a coffee grinder and I don't buy and blend my own coffee beans from some exclusive importer, I just buy whatever comes in a packet at the supermarket. I never miss not being able to create and tweak and fine-tune my cup of coffee. There are only so many hours in the day so you have to pick and choose what aspects of your life you will do on your own, and which you will pay others to do for you. If making juice is too much PT and you would rather have professionally guaranteed results, buy commercial. Find a juice you like off the shelf and vape it. Boom, done. Don't feel bad if you can't make DIY work for you.

Reactions: Like 5 | Agree 1 | Winner 9 | Funny 1


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## KZOR

My juices have anything between 10 and 15% flavoring.
The secret lies in finding the right company for a specific flavor. 

Let's take raspberry as an example. I have tried four different raspberry companies and even pushed up the flavor to 6% on certain ones and still did not get that boost. Comes along FW Raspberry Natural ans voila .... even at low percentages like 2% you get a great raspberry taste.
It is just overwhelming, time consuming and expensive to get to that "ONE" or two that delivers what you need for your recipe.
Mango probably has 30 different variants so exploring on your own could lead to your DIY mission to fall into disdain. 

Best is alot of research ...... googling "best pineapple DIY flavoring" or things like that.
Watching DIY channels also helps shortcut out the tedious journey of finding the flavorings that are worthwhile.

You can make great tasting profiles with under 10% flavoring ..... you just need to find the correct ones.

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 2


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## Wesley

RichJB said:


> The other thing to remember is that 99% of DIY recipes aren't fully batched and refined as recipes. Even Wayne admits that most of the recipes he publishes are only "90% there". It's the last 10% that will separate a really good commercial juice from a DIY recipe. That is accepted, commercial developers have the time and resources to put into that last 10%. They can make a hundred different batches of a recipe and test what the minor tweaks add to the juice. A DIYer will make maybe three batches, one of them is quite tasty and they'll release the recipe.
> 
> Of course there are also many DIY recipes that are horrible. It's an open field, anybody can post any recipe. People are desperate for recognition so they've been mixing for two weeks and they post their 10% FA Dark Bean 15% TFA Bavarian Cream recipe in the hope that the world will laud them for cracking the espresso code and giving us a recipe for the ages. It's the same reason why people who are tone deaf and can't sing a note will line up to audition for American Idol.
> 
> Juice is also like food. You can make your own hamburgers or pizza at home but it will never taste like a Big Mac or a Debonair's pizza. There are proprietary additives which they put into their sauces and which your home-made food won't have. Again, they have the time and the resources to develop these things. The fettucine alfredo I make at home will be nowhere near the same dish served by a Michelin star restaurant. But... so what? Am I now going to eat out every night at Michelin star restaurants, simply because it's more tasty? Food is more important than vapour, yet we often are satisfied with just a bowl of cornflakes or a peanut butter sandwich. You don't need everything you consume to be a delicious work of art prepared by a professional.
> 
> I choose DIY not just for cost factors but for the creative pleasure. Yes, a lot of juices will suck. But none of them have killed me. Sure, I've finished some of my own juices with "lang tande", and I've flushed many others. But I'm still here. My life hasn't been ruined by them. I don't lie awake at night agonising "if only I'd vaped a commercial juice rather than my own DIY juice this time last year, my life would be so much more complete".
> 
> And then you get that moment when you mix up a recipe and you think hey, this is actually pretty good. That's the reward I keep coming back for.
> 
> There are many areas where I am more than happy to live with commercial products. I don't have a coffee grinder and I don't buy and blend my own coffee beans from some exclusive importer, I just buy whatever comes in a packet at the supermarket. I never miss not being able to create and tweak and fine-tune my cup of coffee. There are only so many hours in the day so you have to pick and choose what aspects of your life you will do on your own, and which you will pay others to do for you. If making juice is too much PT and you would rather have professionally guaranteed results, buy commercial. Find a juice you like off the shelf and vape it. Boom, done. Don't feel bad if you can't make DIY work for you.



I retched at the thought of 10% FA Dark Ass, thanks @RichJB.

Reactions: Funny 3


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## X-Calibre786

Andre said:


> Just the other day, @X-Calibre786 gave feedback on a recipe I reported and developed further. And he added sweetener and a coolant for his personal taste.


I've gone through about 300ml of that juice since I first tried it, and I still absolutely love it. Thanks @Andre

Reactions: Winner 3


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## Puff the Magic Dragon

@solantis . 

Don't forget that there is plenty of information available to you. I would recommend that you take some time to look at some of thefogvlog videos on YouTube. These forum members have a wealth of knowledge which they freely dispense to the DIY plebs. They are also willing to help if you have specific questions.

You should try some of the recipes they recommend.

Good luck and don't give up.

Reactions: Like 2 | Thanks 1


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## SparkySA

Whooo, stop the DIY is dead,, talk stop it right now I say.....

I love the juices I make. Firstly if anyone want to PIF PICK ME........

1. Start with a simple recipe (strawberry and Bavarian cream)
2. When making a recipe think of it as in actual food (if you make a cinnamon doughnut) take the ingredients for example.
A few shakes of cinnimon
Sugar
Dough (milk or cream, Graham crust)
You bake it don't ya so a add AP 5%

Your recipe should look something like this

Total Flav 10% to 15%
1% Cinimon sugar (pick a brand you like)
2% Fresh cream
4 % Graham crust
1% super sweet
1% AP 5%
2% Cereal 27 (it just for some reason tastes doughy)
I just came up with this out of my head

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## SparkySA

Smell your concentrates, taste them

Decide what you are making fruity or minty or desserty, plan pick your ingredients like you would at a store.
Remember salads are fast (steep 1 to 3 days)
Baking takes time (steep a week or three) 

If you find that you need a little more of this or that add it during the steep time and keep on tasting the juice during that time it's like tasting your food while cooking to see if it needs salt 

(steep until color is close to translucent yellow if you added nic)

Reactions: Like 1


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## SparkySA

PIF me I love playing mad scientist, and I would love to have more flavors,

Reactions: Like 1


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## SparkySA

solantis said:


> I've been DIYing for over a year now and compared to many of the "premium" juices out there I don't come close.
> 
> When DIYing my primary goal is flavour rich juice. I've tried various recipes and with maybe 2 or 3 exceptions most of them come out fairly week.
> 
> So I'm thinking of giving up because it's feeling like a waste of time but before doing that I thought I'd take a final throw of the side and ask you guys to give me a few tried and tested recipes that are rich in flavour to give me some motivation to continue.


Tony's revenge

Reactions: Like 1


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## CJB85

Andre said:


> Fact is many, many commercial juices and one shots started off as DIY juices.
> 
> To make a successful DIY juice takes a lot of effort and time. For me, after about 2 years I felt like I was making headway to satisfy my personal taste. Now, about 4 years down the line, I have more than enough ADVs to keep me going and more.
> 
> Yes, at first glance it might seem as if your DIY efforts do not compare to premium commercial juices, but take into consideration that to bring that commercial juice to market also takes a lot of effort and time. You are tasting a commercial juice, which might have taken more than a year to develop and perfect. Or have taken countless iterations, which most DIyers do not have time for. Still, not every commercial juice or one shot you taste is going to suit you. For me, most are too sweet, but sweeter is the general preference out there and the sweet makes the flavours more pronounced. Unfortunately the less sweet commercial juices struggle in the market place.
> 
> Once you understand your personal preferences and individual concentrates, DIY starts to pay off. You can see at a glance if a DIY recipe will suit your taste and if it needs tweaking for your taste. For example, Orango Passion by our own TVF I immediately knew is up my alley, but that the CAP Jelly Candy would make it too sweet for me. So I decreased same from 0.75 % to 0.25 % and added 0.25 % TFA Sour as an added insurance and more pop. And a touch of WS-23 for cool. As tweaked, it is perfect for my taste. Just the other day, @X-Calibre786 gave feedback on a recipe I reported and developed further. And he added sweetener and a coolant for his personal taste.
> 
> After some years, developing your own DIY recipes also becomes a lot easier.
> 
> So, 3 ADVs after a year is good. After 2 years, with the added experience, it could be 10 and so on...
> 
> All is not lost, as @GSM500 says above "Persistence is the secret ingredient"!
> 
> PS: For more flavour rich juices have you considered using more PG? Being a MTL vaper I mix at 40PG/60VG, for some tobacco juices even at 50PG/50VG, some NET tobaccos with distilled water added.



Hi @Andre, sorry to hijack the thread a little, but I am about to dive into proper DIY for the first time (I actually have a big box from Blck next to me on the desk). I also vape MTL for the most part, but most of the DIY recipes are aimed at DL setups. Apart from going to a 40/60, or 50/50 mix, will I ruin a recipe if I up the flavour % by 40%-50%? In essence, keeping the flavour ratios the same, but increasing the total flavour content of the recipe? The first batch will be a number of coffee variants, as well as the famous(?) Goofy's Juice.


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## Andre

CJB85 said:


> Hi @Andre, sorry to hijack the thread a little, but I am about to dive into proper DIY for the first time (I actually have a big box from Blck next to me on the desk). I also vape MTL for the most part, but most of the DIY recipes are aimed at DL setups. Apart from going to a 40/60, or 50/50 mix, will I ruin a recipe if I up the flavour % by 40%-50%? In essence, keeping the flavour ratios the same, but increasing the total flavour content of the recipe? The first batch will be a number of coffee variants, as well as the famous(?) Goofy's Juice.


I mix all recipes at the percentages stated. I have at one time for a pod type of system upped the flavour percentage, but found it made almost no difference. All I need to increase for pod type systems is the nicotine content. If you do want to increase the flavour percentages, I would not go higher than a 25% increase.

Reactions: Agree 3


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## MoJoe

This has always been useful to me when building a new recipe to have a guide as to what flavours work well together

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## Beserker786

If you list your flavours I’ll attempt seeing if I can find something that can work. I’ve been diy for over a year now and had the same issue initially, but have since found my sweet spot pun intended

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 2


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## herb1

What is the rule of thumb for mixing %'s for making juices for MTL tanks?


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## takatatak

herb1 said:


> What is the rule of thumb for mixing %'s for making juices for MTL tanks?


Hey @herb1 - Unfortunately there isn't a silver bullet or rule of thumb so to speak... For the most part you want a higher VG/PG ratio like 60/40 or even 50/50 for pods.

Some concentrates are stronger than others and as such could be undesirable at higher percentages whereas some are less concentrated and could be bumped up by as much as 50%...

I would say you could try between a 15-25% proportional increase on your flavour percentages and see how that works for you... You could probably do a 30-50% proportional increase for flavors that are known to be particularly weak...

This all really depends on what device or atomizer you're using... An MTL atty would require less of an increase than a closed pod system for example.

I know some users like @Andre don't find a need for adjusting flavour percentages and that he simply adjusts VG/PG ratio and nicotine strength to suit his taste. Other mixers insist that you need to bump percentages for MTL or pod setups.

Sorry I can't help more than that... If you do ever find the holy grail for adjusting recipes for MTL or pod systems then please do tell

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 3 | Optimistic 1


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## Kalashnikov

Lol I'm in the same boat. I started not making the best juices and the effort was too much. Since I switched to MTL vaping I am now just making 1 shot juices. So much faster and because I'm going through less juice with MTL it's costing the same as I would have spent making my own juices

Reactions: Like 2


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## Silo

I started out by buying a bunch of flavors. I learned a lot, like don't just buy concentrates, you can't fix a bad concentrate.

For me, I check what flavors a vendor has, if I haven't tried it and is along my line of taste, I research. If I find a good description and such, that is my first deciding factor. If I find little about a flavor, or every second person says it has something unpleasant, chances are that I will be skipping it.

I try out flavors that are frequently listed, in recipes that seem nice to me. Never used a recipe in my life, though I have gotten good at combining things that I like. Such as a melon milkshake, it definitely isn't for everyone!

Flavors that can be used standalone, are pretty much winners for mixing from my experience. 

Going on that, has helped me, save money and vape happy. 

I learned a lot from lurking on this forum, very informative posts around. Thank you to everyone who has tested, researched, and shared their experiences.

You would be amazed that someone else might like what you don't. I find that it is rare someone likes something I do not, has happened about twice ever.

Rant:
But it sucked vaping concentrates that took months to get a use, or just got chucked because the taste of baby powder only made the taste of wtfisthisskintastingshiznix, taste like they merged to create something 300 times worse than rotten soap! Surprisingly still that some of the worst I mixed, was better than some china liquids I have had to endure even a puff of! I guess they mixed more 3 awful concentrates in one super-no-no.

Reactions: Like 2


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## GarethB

I felt the same about two months into DIY, but that was because I was only mixing up two popular recipes from 5 years ago. Then about a month ago, I made an account here on Ecigssa, posted a thread asking for dessert recipes and I got pointed in the right direction. There's also a DIY_eliquid subreddit on Reddit.

Before I started DIY, my favourite juice was Joose-eliqs' Nutty Crunch Cookie. Bought it the other day when the vapes shops opened again to see if I could make a similar profile and.... I couldn't finish the bottle, it was just waaaaay too sweet. Sickly sweet. The flavour profile was nice, but my recent recipes that I have found and mixed up have much better flavour and more interesting layers.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


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## fbb1964

my view of diy is perhaps a bit different. been vaping 3 years mostly the in my view better china juice. then few months ago splurged out on top notch premium usa juice. now that im starting my own diy from scratch I'm aiming to get halfway between bottom end china juice and top end usa juice and I'd be happy and consider it a win for me. and I'm not jumping in at the deep end my fav taste is simple. Turkish/cavendish/rum and maple tobacco blend with something sweet and creamy to top it off. I've tried a lot of really sweet single taste juices and didn't like any of them. typical old smoker i want that first tobacco taste hit and smooth sweet finish that lingers. and that simplified my choices to mix now

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 1


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## LeislB

@KZOR, your Raspberry info intrigues me. I could only find it at Boss vape, is that where you get it? I love Raspberry!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Resistance

Silo said:


> I started out by buying a bunch of flavors. I learned a lot, like don't just buy concentrates, you can't fix a bad concentrate.
> 
> For me, I check what flavors a vendor has, if I haven't tried it and is along my line of taste, I research. If I find a good description and such, that is my first deciding factor. If I find little about a flavor, or every second person says it has something unpleasant, chances are that I will be skipping it.
> 
> I try out flavors that are frequently listed, in recipes that seem nice to me. Never used a recipe in my life, though I have gotten good at combining things that I like. Such as a melon milkshake, it definitely isn't for everyone!
> 
> Flavors that can be used standalone, are pretty much winners for mixing from my experience.
> 
> Going on that, has helped me, save money and vape happy.
> 
> I learned a lot from lurking on this forum, very informative posts around. Thank you to everyone who has tested, researched, and shared their experiences.
> 
> You would be amazed that someone else might like what you don't. I find that it is rare someone likes something I do not, has happened about twice ever.
> 
> Rant:
> But it sucked vaping concentrates that took months to get a use, or just got chucked because the taste of baby powder only made the taste of wtfisthisskintastingshiznix, taste like they merged to create something 300 times worse than rotten soap! Surprisingly still that some of the worst I mixed, was better than some china liquids I have had to endure even a puff of! I guess they mixed more 3 awful concentrates in one super-no-no.


My first haul I just got fruit concentrates. A few menthols and koolada. I couldn't have gone wrong. Now I just add one or two to replenish. And started experimenting with other flavours this year.


fbb1964 said:


> my view of diy is perhaps a bit different. been vaping 3 years mostly the in my view better china juice. then few months ago splurged out on top notch premium usa juice. now that im starting my own diy from scratch I'm aiming to get halfway between bottom end china juice and top end usa juice and I'd be happy and consider it a win for me. and I'm not jumping in at the deep end my fav taste is simple. Turkish/cavendish/rum and maple tobacco blend with something sweet and creamy to top it off. I've tried a lot of really sweet single taste juices and didn't like any of them. typical old smoker i want that first tobacco taste hit and smooth sweet finish that lingers. and that simplified my choices to mix now


Tobacco and cream is my newest venture. Nothing to write home about but I'm not that dissapointed.

Reactions: Like 5


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## Paul33

Resistance said:


> Tobacco and cream is my newest venture



Ry4's? So yum and so diverse.

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## Resistance

Paul33 said:


> Ry4's? So yum and so diverse.


I mix it with cubano and cream. Excellentè!

Reactions: Like 3 | Winner 1


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## StompieZA

I see alot of comments here saying they battle and dont come close to shop bought premium juices. I have been DIYing for 6 years now and i felt the same....made juices and it had no flavor or in your face profile like a shop bought juice.

A juice you see on the shelf from familiar brands went through a year of trial and error if not more, hundreds of batches that are given out to close friends and staff to test and provide feedback which provides them with the info the fine tune and tweak each flavor to the exact % it is good at in that profile. Once the juice is ready, its bottled and then stands steeping for probably a month+ before someone in a shop buys it.

I can in all honesty say that after 6 years i can whip up a recipe out of my head in 5 minutes and it would be pretty darn good only because out of the 150 concentrates i have, i basically come to know each one of them, the percentages and profiles and their strengths. 

DIY is awesome but takes alot of practice, time and learning so if you want to save on money but also DIY then One Shots are the way for you.

Look at my signiture, i have mixed and reviewed alot of one shots

Reactions: Like 6 | Agree 2


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## NecroticAngel

StompieZA said:


> I see alot of comments here saying they battle and dont come close to shop bought premium juices. I have been DIYing for 6 years now and i felt the same....made juices and it had no flavor or in your face profile like a shop bought juice.
> 
> A juice you see on the shelf from familiar brands went through a year of trial and error if not more, hundreds of batches that are given out to close friends and staff to test and provide feedback which provides them with the info the fine tune and tweak each flavor to the exact % it is good at in that profile. Once the juice is ready, its bottled and then stands steeping for probably a month+ before someone in a shop buys it.
> 
> I can in all honesty say that after 6 years i can whip up a recipe out of my head in 5 minutes and it would be pretty darn good only because out of the 150 concentrates i have, i basically come to know each one of them, the percentages and profiles and their strengths.
> 
> DIY is awesome but takes alot of practice, time and learning so if you want to save on money but also DIY then One Shots are the way for you.
> 
> Look at my signiture, i have mixed and reviewed alot of one shots


Took me 2 years, but I dont make a wide variety only candies  Going to dip the toe into desserts sometime soon

Reactions: Like 3


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## StompieZA

NecroticAngel said:


> Took me 2 years, but I dont make a wide variety only candies  Going to dip the toe into desserts sometime soon



I have played with everything, from fruits, ice, menthol, tobacco, Coffee, deserts from custards, cookies and so much more

Reactions: Like 3 | Can relate 1


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## ARYANTO

Paul33 said:


> Ry4's? So yum and so diverse.


Your RY 4 is one of my fav's to mix - love it !

Reactions: Like 2 | Thanks 1


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## Stranger

@StompieZA 

Much respect because it takes time and effort to achieve the end result.

My story started with a 36 mg MTL menthol which I really did not like, but stuck with it as I promised myself I would not go back to the stinkies. We are talking 8-9 years ago here and the devices were, well let's just say, not so good. I got the latest and greatest spinner with an RE5 tank and splurged on a bottle of mint along with my usual menthol. I found by mixing the two I got something that I preferred to the original. Next order saw some Arctic menthol, Peppermint, Spearmint and eventually I found Koolada.

In some shape or form this has been my ADV for the last six years. All of the above were commercial juices so you can imagine how I absolutely shat my pants when I discovered DIY suppliers. My first order to Blck was a third of what I was paying for three commercial juices that I had to mix to get what I wanted. Not knocking them, the commercial juices were good, but I can make the same for less.

I have noticed though, just an observation, many people I know chase the holy grail. They want that perfect juice. To me that is like sticking to one red wine forever. That is not going to happen. Even now I will make small variances to the ADV for a bottle or two. It is not better just different which I also enjoy.

Then there is the Elephant in the room. The tank, RDA,RDTA, coil choice. The same ADV tastes very different in different devices. Great in tanks and RDTA. Put my stuff in a Recurve dual for example and it will leave you coughing hairballs.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 4


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## BurnerRSA

I smoked for 20+ years and started vaping about 4 months ago. My first device was some no name mod & tank kit you buy at the micro shops in the middle of the hall when you walk into the Hyperama. Was really chuffed with my purchase and also picked up a bottle of 120ml Nasty Tobacco Silver juice. All for R750. I did not even know that you had to replace coils. Got home, poured in the juice and almost lost a lung I coughed so hard. I thought to myself how will I ever get off the stinkies and used to vaping. I continued with my no-name mod kit for about 2 weeks. One night I sat at my pc you-tubing and googling like a crazy person and discovered that there are so much more to vaping than just picking up a generic device and making the switch.

I decided I still wanted the cigarette experience and that DL was not for me. So, satisfied with my research, I ordered a SMOK Nord 2 with about 3 additional packs of coils and a variety of 25mg Nic Salts and I thought that I had this vaping thing down. Teared into the packaging when everything eventually arrived in Bloemfontein and started vaping. Played around with the wattage, although I did not understand it at all, but I was satisfied with my new purchase, or so I thought. I loved that I can draw into my mouth again (MTL) and the 25mg Nic Salts did provide me with that throat hit I was missing since getting off the stinkies. The problem I had at this point was that the Nic Salts irritating my throat and although I bought tobacco flavored juice, they tasted nothing like my precious stinkies I missed so much.

3 Weeks into using the SMOK I decided I wanted more. I wanted a stronger device and after more googling and reading reviews I wanted something that I can control the airflow because I wanted that tight draw like a cigarette but with enough flavor and throat hit coming through. So I bought an Innokin Adept with Zlide tank because all the reviewers said this is a must have for ex-smokers. The device was high quality, lived up to its name and it was PURPLE. Color of the device aside, I ordered some of the 12mg Vape King house juices and found myself to be much better compatible with the freebase nic products.

Another 2 Weeks later and after I realized I am obsessed with getting the ideal setup to replicate my old habits, I bought an AEGIS Solo Mod with an AMMIT MTL RTA Tank. I love this setup and are now competent in all the lingo, coiling and wicking.

Last month I decided I want to mix my own juices because although the VK juices were "OK", I wanted more variety and cheaper juice. Bought PG, VG, NIC and flavorings for about 6 recipes that was highly rated on ELR and started making all the beginner DIY-ing mistakes that one person can make. Some recipes were from 2015, I mixed 100ml Batches without testing and so on. I think I am going to chug half of the juices I made because it tastes like a chemical mess to me.

The point I'm trying to make is that in a span of 4 months I have gone from that person who bought a no-name kit to coiling and wicking my own setup to get the correct ohm that I like and although I feel my fist DIY mixing en-devour was not very successful, with trial and error, forums like this and patience, I will succeed in mixing my own liquids too. 

I could buy the one shots, but for this months purchase I will be getting the individual flavors for some DIYorDIE one shots that I think I will like and then on to experimentation with the flavors that I have accumulated. Allot of 10ml bottles and no more 100ml bottles. I want to make small individual flavor mixes so that I can taste what each flavor tastes like on its own.

Wish me luck and any new mixers advice is most welcome. Happy mixing.

Reactions: Like 6 | Winner 7


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## Adephi

BurnerRSA said:


> I smoked for 20+ years and started vaping about 4 months ago. My first device was some no name mod & tank kit you buy at the micro shops in the middle of the hall when you walk into the Hyperama. Was really chuffed with my purchase and also picked up a bottle of 120ml Nasty Tobacco Silver juice. All for R750. I did not even know that you had to replace coils. Got home, poured in the juice and almost lost a lung I coughed so hard. I thought to myself how will I ever get off the stinkies and used to vaping. I continued with my no-name mod kit for about 2 weeks. One night I sat at my pc you-tubing and googling like a crazy person and discovered that there are so much more to vaping than just picking up a generic device and making the switch.
> 
> I decided I still wanted the cigarette experience and that DL was not for me. So, satisfied with my research, I ordered a SMOK Nord 2 with about 3 additional packs of coils and a variety of 25mg Nic Salts and I thought that I had this vaping thing down. Teared into the packaging when everything eventually arrived in Bloemfontein and started vaping. Played around with the wattage, although I did not understand it at all, but I was satisfied with my new purchase, or so I thought. I loved that I can draw into my mouth again (MTL) and the 25mg Nic Salts did provide me with that throat hit I was missing since getting off the stinkies. The problem I had at this point was that the Nic Salts irritating my throat and although I bought tobacco flavored juice, they tasted nothing like my precious stinkies I missed so much.
> 
> 3 Weeks into using the SMOK I decided I wanted more. I wanted a stronger device and after more googling and reading reviews I wanted something that I can control the airflow because I wanted that tight draw like a cigarette but with enough flavor and throat hit coming through. So I bought an Innokin Adept with Zlide tank because all the reviewers said this is a must have for ex-smokers. The device was high quality, lived up to its name and it was PURPLE. Color of the device aside, I ordered some of the 12mg Vape King house juices and found myself to be much better compatible with the freebase nic products.
> 
> Another 2 Weeks later and after I realized I am obsessed with getting the ideal setup to replicate my old habits, I bought an AEGIS Solo Mod with an AMMIT MTL RTA Tank. I love this setup and are now competent in all the lingo, coiling and wicking.
> 
> Last month I decided I want to mix my own juices because although the VK juices were "OK", I wanted more variety and cheaper juice. Bought PG, VG, NIC and flavorings for about 6 recipes that was highly rated on ELR and started making all the beginner DIY-ing mistakes that one person can make. Some recipes were from 2015, I mixed 100ml Batches without testing and so on. I think I am going to chug half of the juices I made because it tastes like a chemical mess to me.
> 
> The point I'm trying to make is that in a span of 4 months I have gone from that person who bought a no-name kit to coiling and wicking my own setup to get the correct ohm that I like and although I feel my fist DIY mixing en-devour was not very successful, with trial and error, forums like this and patience, I will succeed in mixing my own liquids too.
> 
> I could buy the one shots, but for this months purchase I will be getting the individual flavors for some DIYorDIE one shots that I think I will like and then on to experimentation with the flavors that I have accumulated. Allot of 10ml bottles and no more 100ml bottles. I want to make small individual flavor mixes so that I can taste what each flavor tastes like on its own.
> 
> Wish me luck and any new mixers advice is most welcome. Happy mixing.



Great story.

But before you chuck the juices down the drain, let them stand for a bit. Tobaccos need about a month steeping (sometimes more) to really start getting good.

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## BurnerRSA

Good to know. They have been steeping for about 2 weeks now. Giving them a shake daily. I will leave them be.

Reactions: Like 6


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## NecroticAngel

BurnerRSA said:


> Good to know. They have been steeping for about 2 weeks now. Giving them a shake daily. I will leave them be.


Also another thing if I make some semi awful juice I try mixing it up with 50percent base. Pg and vg mix and it fixed alot of my earlier nightmare DIY juices. I can tell you to keep going because unless I use that friggen blueberry by capella there hasn't been anything unvapeable in a very long time. Might not all be top notch, but my worst is normally better than what I can find commercially now.

Reactions: Like 8


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## BurnerRSA

NecroticAngel said:


> Also another thing if I make some semi awful juice I try mixing it up with 50percent base. Pg and vg mix and it fixed alot of my earlier nightmare DIY juices. I can tell you to keep going because unless I use that friggen blueberry by capella there hasn't been anything unvapeable in a very long time. Might not all be top notch, but my worst is normally better than what I can find commercially now.



I think it may be one flavor I used in some of the recipes that don't agree with my pallet. I shall be seeking and casting it out... I am suspecting the Pear or Honeydew maybe from this recipe maybe.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 2


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## Paul33

BurnerRSA said:


> I think it may be one flavor I used in some of the recipes that don't agree with my pallet. I shall be seeking and casting it out... I am suspecting the Pear or Honeydew maybe from this recipe maybe.


That's a lot of TFA pear

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## Puff the Magic Dragon

BurnerRSA said:


> I think it may be one flavor I used in some of the recipes that don't agree with my pallet. I shall be seeking and casting it out... I am suspecting the Pear or Honeydew maybe from this recipe maybe.



TFA pear @7% is very high. I agree with @Paul33

The recipe for Smoking Snake which you are using dates from 2016. In the "olden days" we generally mixed at far higher concentrate percentages.

I personally like several of the DiyorDie one shots which you are going to try.. Wayne is amazing by providing most of his recipes for us, including one shot ingredients. My favourites are Obsidian, Watermalone and Cuprian. When looking for his recipes remember that he posts under "Enyawreklaw".

https://alltheflavors.com/recipes?sort_order=new&name_like=Enyawreklaw

Reactions: Like 5


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## BurnerRSA

Puff the Magic Dragon said:


> TFA pear @7% is very high. I agree with @Paul33
> 
> The recipe for Smoking Snake which you are using dates from 2016. In the "olden days" we generally mixed at far higher concentrate percentages.
> 
> I personally like several of the DiyorDie one shots which you are going to try.. Wayne is amazing by providing most of his recipes for us, including one shot ingredients. My favourites are Obsidian, Watermalone and Cuprian. When looking for his recipes remember that he posts under "Enyawreklaw".
> 
> https://alltheflavors.com/recipes?sort_order=new&name_like=Enyawreklaw


Thanks for the link. I like how he explains everything as well. My Bossvape cart is already past the R2k mark. Lol. I think I'm obsessed. 

Sent from my MAR-LX1M using Tapatalk

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