Tips on how to save money on vaping

[Silver]

We all know that at certain times, cash is tight

And we also know how expensive vaping can be when the bug bites

So what are your tips to help others save money on vaping?

 

[Silver]

Here are some I can offer from my own experiences:

Avoid getting sucked into too much hype and buying every "latest greatest" device
It's easier said than done. And the forum does make it harder to resist - especially when you see someone posting that this tank has better flavour than the one you're using

My advice is wait for a bit and see. Sometimes those amazing devices start hitting the classifieds because they weren't so great after all. When something is really good, it will continue to be discussed and shared for a long time. Do your research carefully. Try out a friend's device before buying. Or if possible, try it out at a shop on a juice you know fairly well.

Go the rebuildable route and save a lot on buying commercial coils
A roll of Kanthal and a bag of wick can last a long time and can save a lot on buying commercial coils. Its really not difficult to build a simple coil and install it and wick it - especially if you are using a device that is quite forgiving in this area. Building exotic aliens and the like is not easy but even a simple coil can give great flavour (most times much better than stock coils) and it saves quite a lot of cash in the longer run.

If you really want to save on wicks and wire - sweat your coils and wicks - i.e. try vaping them as long as you can until you notice the degradation in flavour. On lightly coloured juices that dont shred or gunk the coils/wicks, you may be surprised at how long you can go before needing a rewick. Even if the flavour degrades by only 10%, its hardly noticeable. Not that wicks are that expensive. Probably more of a time saver for me.

One more thing - single coil devices use half the wire and half the wick And often you can still get an excellent vape, if not even better flavour on many single coil devices.

Buy higher nic strength juice and dilute it with plain PG/VG - to make it last longer
This is something I have done for quite a while. There are a few vendors that stock higher nic juices and if the flavouring is enough, then the vape is still very good even when diluted down a bit. As an example, I often get Vapour Mountain juices in 18mg and add PG/VG to it - bringing it down to about 12mg. That saves quite a bit on the juice. PG/VG is much cheaper.

If you like menthol, add it to juices - you might be smiling if an average juice becomes great
I learnt this quite late in my vaping but it has worked well. If I buy a fruity or a tobacco juice thats okay but not great, just adding a bit of menthol concentrate often makes it much better - so I dont end up binning the juice and can vape it and enjoy it.

 

[G+3]

We all know that at certain times, cash is tight

And we also know how expensive vaping can be when the bug bites

So what are your tips to help others save money on vaping?

Good topic @Silver I will be following it closely. Need some good tips as just today I did some calcs and nearly had heart failure at the costs versus say stinkies. I need good financial tips. DIY is a good option but it probably won't cut the costs in half if I do the math

 

[Silver]

Good topic @Silver I will be following it closely. Need some good tips as just today I did some calcs and nearly had heart failure at the costs versus say stinkies. I need good financial tips. DIY is a good option but it probably won't cut the costs in half if I do the math

I will leave the DIY tips to the experienced DIYers
I think making your own juice can yield massive savings - as long as you stick to a few recipes you really love
(And not fall into the DIY rabbit hole)

I suppose One Shots are a good option because they do work out a lot cheaper than buying the ready to vape juice - in most cases.

 

[G+3]

I will leave the DIY tips to the experienced DIYers
I think making your own juice can yield massive savings - as long as you stick to a few recipes you really love
(And not fall into the DIY rabbit hole)

I suppose One Shots are a good option because they do work out a lot cheaper than buying the ready to vape juice - in most cases.

When you say dilute your juice....say I have a 70/30 juice. Do I add a 70/30 premix to the bought juice to dilute it or do I add vg and pg separately?

 

[Silver]

When you say dilute your juice....say I have a 70/30 juice. Do I add a 70/30 premix to the bought juice to dilute it or do I add vg and pg separately?

You can add the 70/30 premix if you want to preserve the PG/VG ratio
For a lot of my juices that I do this on I am on 50/50 - so I add a mix of 50PG/50PG

 

[Rob Fisher]

Save money vaping... Good one Hi Ho @Silver!

But seriously... Two decent Mods and a couple Dvarw DL's should be enough... but as it's my hobby and saved my life I go a little overboard...

 

[G+3]

You can add the 70/30 premix if you want to preserve the PG/VG ratio
For a lot of my juices that I do this on I am on 50/50 - so I add a mix of 50PG/50PG

Ok got it thanks. Juice is one of the areas where I can cut. But to be honest I can but not massive amounts. I vape about 25ml a day and I get most if not all from the good folk down in durbs .it's about 1.90 a ml so to DIY and it comes to about 1 zar a ml it's a saving but not massive. I think you are on the mark with the hardware. One has to be content with your set up till you can recoup some costs. Then treat youself to a new mod or tank

 

[G+3]

Save money vaping... Good one Hi Ho @Silver!

But seriously... Two decent Mods and a couple Dvarw DL's should be enough... but as it's my hobby and saved my life I go a little overboard...

Spot on @Rob Fisher I have two decent mods so they will have to do the work till the costs come down. They too saved me from stinkies so I shall always cherish them

 

[Silver]

Save money vaping... Good one Hi Ho @Silver!

But seriously... Two decent Mods and a couple Dvarw DL's should be enough... but as it's my hobby and saved my life I go a little overboard...

Very important - we are all lucky to have @Rob Fisher on board with us on this vaping adventure.
The reason is that Rob tries out so much gear - more than most - and is very generous with his commentary and sharing his experiences with us. If it weren't for Rob, there would be a ton of gear many of us would not have even seen, let alone taken on a journey through its pros and cons - and whether its a Chicken Dinner or gorge worthy...

HOWEVER

His enthusiasm for all things vaping can be dangerous at times...


So here is my tip :

Watch Rob carefully. If he has a device and posts it on the forum for more than a month - and then goes on to buy several more of the SAME item, then you know this is something very good for him. And if you like his kind of vape style (restrictive lung) and you like fruity menthol juices - then Bazinga! Your research has been done and school fees have been paid. Thank you Rob

 

[G+3]

Very important - we are all lucky to have @Rob Fisher on board with us on this vaping adventure.
The reason is that Rob tries out so much gear - more than most - and is very generous with his commentary and sharing his experiences with us. If it weren't for Rob, there would be a ton of gear many of us would not have even seen, let alone taken on a journey through its pros and cons - and whether its a Chicken Dinner or gorge worthy...

HOWEVER

His enthusiasm for all things vaping can be dangerous at times...


So here is my tip :

Watch Rob carefully. If he has a device and posts it on the forum for more than a month - and then goes on to buy several more of the SAME item, then you know this is something very good for him. And if you like his kind of vape style (restrictive lung) and you like fruity menthol juices - then Bazinga! Your research has been done and school fees have been paid. Thank you Rob

Agreed, he has more vape gear than some vape shops I know and his restaurant reviews are great too

 

[Adephi]

DIY juice is definitely the no 1 place to save money from. But the initial cost might be high. First to get the scale, first batch of concentrates, PG/VG and nic can be costly at first, but after that you spend very little each month. Mostly just to top up.

ALso, buying in bulk helps a lot in the long term. Once you got those few recipes for your ADV you can by those concentrates in 30 or 50ml that might work out a bit cheaper.

 

[Rob Fisher]

DIY can also be an expensive rabbit hole... you have to have the perseverance and attention to detail to succeed with DIY.

 

[Adephi]

DIY can also be an expensive rabbit hole... you have to have the perseverance and attention to detail to succeed with DIY.

I would say yes and no.

If you set out a budget of say R200 per month on concentrates you can build up a healthy collection of concentrates over a few months. But if you dive too deep and have to try all the recipes on ATF, yes it can be very expensive.

As for attention to detail, you can ask my boss and my wife, that's a trait I d not have. If you can make a cup of coffee you can make an easy mix.

 

[Rob Fisher]

I would say yes and no.

If you set out a budget of say R200 per month on concentrates you can build up a healthy collection of concentrates over a few months. But if you dive too deep and have to try all the recipes on ATF, yes it can be very expensive.

As for attention to detail, you can ask my boss and my wife, that's a trait I d not have. If you can make a cup of coffee you can make an easy mix.

Yip you are probably right... my problem is I only vape one juice predominantly and everything I tried to makes tasted KAK!

 

[Jean claude Vaaldamme]

Dont compete with the Jones's. A mod is a mod, they all do the same thing. Do your research and buy two good mods, looks dont vape better. Then do more research amd buy two good rta's/rda's whatever you prefer. Then you are done buying. If you really feel you dont like your attys, sell them and get something better, not just the new hype, something proven. There is enough people chasing the hypes and competing with the Jones's, so dont buy new, buy half price in classifieds.

If you do chase the hypes or compete with Jones's or its a hobby. Dont try to save money, because it wont work.
Ooo and Diy juice. Bought juice +-R3000/L. Diy juice +-R500/l simple maths

 

[jm10]

1: Good quality coils, they last long depending on e liquid and how you take care of them.

2: An rda; this you carry with you to your vape shop for testing juices before you buy, my vape shops hold about 20-30 bottles of testers and its always a good thing to try before offloading money on a 120ml that sucks. I should follow my own advice here but i dont have the time or patients to sit and test so i just buy and now i have a cupboard full of kuk juice

 

[Jean claude Vaaldamme]

But that doesnt work out always. Before I did diy, the vape shop close to me had rda's so they let you test. But then I test and it taste great. Buy get home and after an hour its horrible. Most juices taste good if you take a few puffs to test, but after a tank or two, not so much.

 

[hyphen]

One of the ways I save money on juice is that I put money aside and wait for sales. You can save tons of money with sales and deals like Black Friday. Also when you see a good deal , go for it , buy a couple more bottles than you need and keep them. Also follow your favourite vape/juice stores on Facebook and Instagram , they often post last minute deals and sales.

 

[jm10]

But that doesnt work out always. Before I did diy, the vape shop close to me had rda's so they let you test. But then I test and it taste great. Buy get home and after an hour its horrible. Most juices taste good if you take a few puffs to test, but after a tank or two, not so much.

Never had that issue, juice either tastes good or kuk to me of the bat. Build for profile is also a biggy and its one of the biggest factors in taste.

I struggled with the Dvarw build for a month(i benched it for a few months caused i was pissed at it) and just last night i nailed it and now I’m over the moon.

 

[Crazyj]

But that doesnt work out always. Before I did diy, the vape shop close to me had rda's so they let you test. But then I test and it taste great. Buy get home and after an hour its horrible. Most juices taste good if you take a few puffs to test, but after a tank or two, not so much.

Story of my life

 

[Room Fogger]

DIY juice is definitely the no 1 place to save money from. But the initial cost might be high. First to get the scale, first batch of concentrates, PG/VG and nic can be costly at first, but after that you spend very little each month. Mostly just to top up.

ALso, buying in bulk helps a lot in the long term. Once you got those few recipes for your ADV you can by those concentrates in 30 or 50ml that might work out a bit cheaper.

I agree totally with @Adephi @G+3 , as long as you start right. I made the mistake of buying quite a couple of concentrates, actually more than just a couple because I was going to invent the greatest juices for me to vape. Well that failed dismally, I haven’t even opened some more than a year later, there was another factor but let’s leave that for consistency. Find it better to just do mixes that are tried and tested.

You know what you prefer, read @RichJB diy intro, look for recipies that share a lot of your profile flavours and buy and mix them first. One shots are also great in the beginning. Then make your mixing sessions part of your relaxation time. Keep an eye on the diy thread to see if more recipies come up that you will like, and then slowly start adding to your flavours. Bulk buying is reserved for daily Vapes only. Received my first orders of 2019 today from BLCK, Vape Hyper and Flavour World. This has to last me 6 months of mixing, including that which I currently have, have to cut down on the quantity, and cost, tight year ahead, so going to find recipies that actually use that which I haven’t used at all, or only mixed with once. I will only add 1or2 if really needed for a adv I can’t go without.

Yes you have to spend on a scale, best investment you can make for this, even the smallest one, double digit though, some plastic bottles that can be reused, pg, VG and nic. 2 l VG and 500 ml pg wil go quite a ways, and 120 ml nic as well. After that it’s saving all the way, by being smart and using what you have! I mix 30 ml juices for under R15,00, and some 50ml for about R20 to R 25, some even cheaper. There are some that is more expensive, due to make and volume, and some that are cheaper, but if it is worth it, treat yourself to that more expensive one, why not. The diy intro shows you how the flavours are rated and what the most popular or used ones are, and that will be a basis to start your collection. And ask as many questions of the diyguys you want, they will assist and give advice..

Good luck with this new adventure if you decide to take it, keep track of your concentrates and keep to your budget, don’t go over if it’s not absolutely necessary.

Other than that, many happy clouds to you on your own diy juices.

 

[Vix]

But that doesnt work out always. Before I did diy, the vape shop close to me had rda's so they let you test. But then I test and it taste great. Buy get home and after an hour its horrible. Most juices taste good if you take a few puffs to test, but after a tank or two, not so much.

It is weird but I feel the same as you on this. So many I would almost say 80% of my new juice buys in the store my mind is blown by how good it is but once i am a tank or 2 in it's meh and gets shelved.

I have wasted a lot of money that way. Its probably not that the juice is bad just I get fatigue on flavors really quickly.

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

I haven't bought juice for several years. I only DIY.

I decided where I fitted into the scheme of things early on. I don't have the ability (taste wise) to make up my own recipes that are better than the experts. I have no intention to compete with them.

I rely on the experts to provide me with the recipes for juices I think that I would like. Guys on the forum like @RichJB @Dietz @KZOR @Andre @Moerse Rooikat @Rude Rudi etc etc, provide me with the ability to make juice very easily and cheaply, for which I am very grateful.

If you want or need to save money @Jean claude Vaaldamme 's suggestion to buy from the classifieds is a very good option. Many vapers buy kit which they, for whatever reason, don't like. This doesn't mean that it is bad equipment. Many of the best RDAs and RTAs are sold on the forum at reduced prices.

Mods aren't such a problem. Most of them are very similar and do exactly the same job. If you really want a particular RDA or RTA and can't find it you could always buy a clone. There are still a few shops with the b***s to sell them. You can, of course, import them. I wouldn't buy clone mods because of safety issues, but if you are experienced and careful even this is an option. I would rather buy a second-hand mod than a clone mod.

 

[Silver]

Bumping this thread for the benefit of those that havent seen it yet

If you have any good tips on how to save cash on vaping, please post them here.
Might be very helpful to others.