VG/PG Ratios

[Rivera]

What ratio do you mix with, and why?

Do you have certain ratios for certain types of recipes?

I watched a DIY OR DIE vid on VG/PG ratios, and he said flavour can be slightly better with 50/50 mixes? I'm not one that cares for clouds, so this would suit, even though I'd go through juice a lot faster lol.

I mixed a 50/50 juice to test, and lowered my nic as I didn't want too much of a throat hit.

 

[DarthBranMuffin]

@ivc_mixer
@YeOldeOke

 

[YeOldeOke]

I see no reason why you'd go through juice faster with a 50/50.

I know it's 'common knowledge' that PG carries flavour better than VG. Personally I'm not so sure, it is absolutely marginal if at all IMHO. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's just that the thinner juice wicks faster, supplying more juice and thus more flavour.

Which brings us back to the first line. But you'd wick differently for different ratios to get about the same flow rate.

 

[Paul33]

What ratio do you mix with, and why?

Do you have certain ratios for certain types of recipes?

I watched a DIY OR DIE vid on VG/PG ratios, and he said flavour can be slightly better with 50/50 mixes? I'm not one that cares for clouds, so this would suit, even though I'd go through juice a lot faster lol.

I mixed a 50/50 juice to test, and lowered my nic as I didn't want too much of a throat hit.

i used to mix the red pill one shot at 50/50 for my billet box, i therefore could wick tighter which i also prefer but otherwise i go 70/30 and everything is pretty much the same flavour wise.

juice at 50/50 is pretty thin compared to 70/30 so be careful with leaking in your rta's.

 

[Grand Guru]

I'm not a mixologist like @YeOldeOke or @ivc_mixer but I've been almost exclusively mixing one shots for the past 3+ years and experimented different ratios from 50/50 to 80VG/20PG.
The difference in flavour differs from juice to juice. For some, you won't notice any difference (like Red Pill) and for others you'll definitely notice one even if you let steep longer (Like Bar one). So yes, I believe PG carries flavourants more easily.
To answer your other question, where you need fast wicking due to the tank design or the build ohmage, you will need more fluid juice so more PG and vice versa.

 

[Quintusson]

I didn't want too much of a throat hit

This is your problem when lowering the VG level. PG carries more flavour, but also it causes more of a throat hit, so if you lower what typically can be made as a 70/30 juice to a 50/50 juice you will experience much more of a throat hit.

Yes, PG does carry flavour but at what expense, that's the question. I typically only lower the VG levels when I am mixing for a pod or MTL device and then it also depends on which device. The smaller the intake of the atomiser juice wells, the lower the VG levels as otherwise the user will experience dry hits due to the juice being too thick to pass through.

That being said, I do have a few recipes which I mix at 65/35 and you'd be surprised how much of a difference that small change makes. Not HUGE, but it does. The other thing you need to remember when lowering the VG levels is how much of a throat hit the concentrates you're using has. Most are okay, but then you have ones like TFA's Lemon which you would wish you did not mix at the levels you did.

If you want more flavour, in general, add more concentrates or flavours which enhance the profile, e.g. Raspberry for Strawberry, etc. Else sweeteners and ice also definitely helps. I know a lot of people do not favour sweeteners that much, but it definitely helps with flavour enhancement.

The difference in flavour differs from juice to juice

Definitely this.

juice at 50/50 is pretty thin compared to 70/30 so be careful with leaking in your rta's.

Then this, very much this.

 

[Rivera]

i used to mix the red pill one shot at 50/50 for my billet box, i therefore could wick tighter which i also prefer but otherwise i go 70/30 and everything is pretty much the same flavour wise.

juice at 50/50 is pretty thin compared to 70/30 so be careful with leaking in your rta's.

Definitely thought about leaking! Thankfully the Arbiters are top airflow so that should be okay, and I don't think it will leak in the Dvarw either

 

[Rivera]

This is your problem when lowering the VG level. PG carries more flavour, but also it causes more of a throat hit, so if you lower what typically can be made as a 70/30 juice to a 50/50 juice you will experience much more of a throat hit.

Yes, PG does carry flavour but at what expense, that's the question. I typically only lower the VG levels when I am mixing for a pod or MTL device and then it also depends on which device. The smaller the intake of the atomiser juice wells, the lower the VG levels as otherwise the user will experience dry hits due to the juice being too thick to pass through.

That being said, I do have a few recipes which I mix at 65/35 and you'd be surprised how much of a difference that small change makes. Not HUGE, but it does. The other thing you need to remember when lowering the VG levels is how much of a throat hit the concentrates you're using has. Most are okay, but then you have ones like TFA's Lemon which you would wish you did not mix at the levels you did.

If you want more flavour, in general, add more concentrates or flavours which enhance the profile, e.g. Raspberry for Strawberry, etc. Else sweeteners and ice also definitely helps. I know a lot of people do not favour sweeteners that much, but it definitely helps with flavour enhancement.


Definitely this.


Then this, very much this.

Thanks IVC! I thought I could dodge the throat hit by lowering the nic with 50/50, curses

Going to experiment with ratios, and I'll try 65/35 and 60/40

 

[Paul33]

Definitely thought about leaking! Thankfully the Arbiters are top airflow so that should be okay, and I don't think it will leak in the Dvarw either

top airflow should be fine for leaking but your coil will wick much faster with the thinner juice which could cause spit back if you dont wick it a lot tighter.

Dvarw i have no idea but im assuming same principle would apply so just something to take note of.

 

[Grand Guru]

Definitely thought about leaking! Thankfully the Arbiters are top airflow so that should be okay, and I don't think it will leak in the Dvarw either

Oh yes it unfortunately does even if it’s wicked to perfection especially after 2 or 3 days of use. Advice: keep your tank upside down if you’re not going use it for a while like when you go to bed and then don’t leave it in the sun or in your car.

 

[Rivera]

Oh yes it unfortunately does even if it’s wicked to perfection especially after 2 or 3 days of use. Advice: keep your tank upside down if you’re not going use it for a while like when you go to bed and then don’t leave it in the sun or in your car.

Final verdict: Just don't mix 50/50 lol! I'll be trying the other ratios rather

 

[waiora]

PG is your flavor carrier like mentioned, but it depends on a few factors.

I start all recipes at 70/30

How much nic you use, for higher nic content I will use more PG ratio, like 60/40. Nic itself can also change how a recipe will vape if you compare a 3% vs a 0%
How much flavoring my recipe has, I have some recipes that only require 4/7 % flavor and for those I find it better to use a slighly higher PG ratio, 60/40 usually.
The season, and the RTA I am building on, Some of my recipes ill mix at 70/30 in the summer and at 60/40 during winter. The ambient temperature can make a big difference to viscosity of a liquid and can cause dryer hits when its cold, on certain builds. If a recipe allows I prefer changing a VG/PG ratio rather than messing with how I wick. Loser wicking can cause more sagging and dry hits too.

I tend to play around with ratios and other flavors before resorting to enhancing with sweetners/ice and others like MTS. I always try too keep things like sweetner as low as possible, it keeps coils cleaner for longer. No vape is as good as when it has a new coil/cotton right?

Just try many small test bottles and find what works better for you. There really isn't 1 magical solution. Each recipe is different, each device is different. And every vaper likes different things. Find a good middle ground.