wayne.walkerr
Member For 4 Years
This is just a quick post about some "research" I've been doing. I have a simple strawberries and cream recipe that I mix as my ADV. I know the flavor of it from front to back and have been vaping it for quite some time now. I usually use this mix as a way to test my new RDA's and tanks, to see how the flavor output is. A few months ago I mixed it up with some VG/PG I don't normally use. I used this base because it was sent to me, and I wanted to give it a try. I mixed it up and it tasted very very flat. Not only that but there was an unpleasant flavor coming from it. Almost like it was "stale" or "expired". The best way I can describe this flavor is that it tasted like sweat. Fucking gross. So this got me thinking, how much flavor is really dependent on the bases we use? I know a lot of the companies use the same Nicotine and VG supplier, but I also know a lot of them filter and purify their bases differently from eachother. How much of a difference between them all depends on your experience, but it's safe to say that not all VG/PG/NIC is alike. So I tried to obtain all the "major" bases available to do this little experiment. I would make a batch of my ADV with each different base and nic, at 0mg, 3mg, 6mg and let it steep a week and vaped them all and took notes. For companies who make VG/PG only I used 0mg. I mixed at 50/50. Vaped through various RDA's and tanks though all on their own RDA with no crossing. Here are my notes. Take what you want from it, and PLEASE add you opinions and experiences with the bases YOU'VE tried. It only makes our vape experience BETTER!
THE BASES NOTES
Liquid Barn:
Anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy using LB and pimp them out as often as I can. They have great customer service and they put out a good product, so whenever someone asks me where I get my stuff I like to recommend them. By far, this is my favorite stuff to use because it's clean, reliable, and makes mixing easier.
VG/PG: Clean, crisp, and non intrusive. Comes in good packaging for storage and has a spout cap which makes mixing by weight such a breeze. This is the stuff I use in my personal vapes, and I think is one of the best available. One thing comes to mind when vaping this is that it's clean. It's like comparing tap water to filtered spring. Very reliable. Seems to really be great in any type of recipe. No problems with subtle flavors, heavy flavors, and anything in between. Really good stuff.
NIC 100mg: Also some of my favorite nicotine. Same plastic packaging as the VG/PG, THOUGH I wish it came in glass. Nicotine should be in glass when it can, especially when put away for long term storage. Just like the VG/PG this stuff is clean, and non intrusive. Their USA sourced nic has somewhat of a strong odor, but in the mix, is not apparent. They also give you a sheet with the batch number, date, and the percentage of purity which is a great addition. I've had no issues all the way up to 6mg and it was very smooth throughout. When purchased with the VG/PG package you can't ask for a better base.
WIZARD LABS:
I used WL before I moved to LB. They have a pretty great product and pretty reliable. I've had an issue with them only once, but other than that a pretty good company to use.
VG/PG: Great bases. Comes in plastic, no spout cap. Very clean, flavorless. I've had absolutely no problems with their bases. A little pricier if ordering less than a gallon, but a good price at a gallon. No flavor leak, non intrusive. All you can ask for a base
NIC 100mg: A touch peppery, a little harsh, but very very slight at 3mg. At 6mg, it's a little more prominent and may cause concern for some. Plastic amber bottles, no spout. Has MSDS and COA available. A great option for those ordering their first purchase all at WL. Flavor leak extremely minimal, mixes well. I had one issue where one time I was given a batch that only kept for a month. After a month the peppery flavor was so prominent I had to throw away the entire bottle. It was very scratchy and itchy and non-vapeable. Other than this issue, this is a fine choice.
NUDE NICOTINE:
Some of the best VG/PG available with great nicotine as well. Touted as sometimes having less than stellar customer service, as well as having a few bad batches, this is a product that is good...but is a gamble. This is my experience, though.
VG/PG: Some of the best you can get. VERY clean, very crisp. Absolutely no issues, no flavor leak, flavorless, completely non-intrusive. Plastic bottles. One of the pricier options. I've had no issues with this stuff at all, and would purchase from here exclusively if it was a cheaper option.
NIC 100mg: Also an excellent product. This product really shines with it's packaging options. You can order your nic in glass which is great and best of all, you can order with ARGON for long term storage! An awesome addition I wish all suppliers had for DIY. They also have started adding LUER SLIP TOPS for their nicotine to really minimize oxidization. This is all at a cost though. There is absolutely no flavor to this, extremely clean and pure. This nicotine was also accurate. The issue comes with their track record. They have been known to have a few bad batches where the target concentration was much higher than expected. This is a big issue. Never happened to me though, and I'm very happy with my product I received.
BULL CITY VAPOR
A great company who everyone loves to use for flavorings. Not really known for their bases, they do offer a VG/PG alternative.
VG/PG: A perfectly fine option. Clean, fresh tasting, with slight flavor muting. I often use this company when ordering a bunch of flavorings and just need some VG/PG, and don't want to split up the order and be charged extra shipping. Absolutely reliable and never had any issues. You do get a slight taste. It's almost a metallic flavor, that does hurt brighter flavors. Also the flavor muting is there. I generally use this as a last resort if I'm low on base at the time and am currently reupping my stash...which is rare. I'm assuming maybe they are ordering from a large supplier, and just stocking this stuff.
NIC: BCV used to carry VapersTek, but no longer any more.
VAPE CLARITY:
A New nicotine player in the game .
VG/PG: None
NIC 100mg: I received a tester back when they first came out and was very very upset. The nicotine came with a quarter missing, a dirty and unprofessional label, clear transparent packaging, and no seal at the top. I hear this has all changed but I am only going with my experience. As for quality, it was pretty good. Clean, no flavor leak, though there was some muting that came from it. It's just a slight softness around the edges. No odor, AT ALL. Which was very surprising. Very accurate as well. The price is also one of the best available though the muting effects do keep me from using again. A great choice for a cheap nicotine IF BOTTLE PRESENTATION AND PACKAGING IS FIXED.
THE BASES NOTES
Liquid Barn:
Anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy using LB and pimp them out as often as I can. They have great customer service and they put out a good product, so whenever someone asks me where I get my stuff I like to recommend them. By far, this is my favorite stuff to use because it's clean, reliable, and makes mixing easier.
VG/PG: Clean, crisp, and non intrusive. Comes in good packaging for storage and has a spout cap which makes mixing by weight such a breeze. This is the stuff I use in my personal vapes, and I think is one of the best available. One thing comes to mind when vaping this is that it's clean. It's like comparing tap water to filtered spring. Very reliable. Seems to really be great in any type of recipe. No problems with subtle flavors, heavy flavors, and anything in between. Really good stuff.
NIC 100mg: Also some of my favorite nicotine. Same plastic packaging as the VG/PG, THOUGH I wish it came in glass. Nicotine should be in glass when it can, especially when put away for long term storage. Just like the VG/PG this stuff is clean, and non intrusive. Their USA sourced nic has somewhat of a strong odor, but in the mix, is not apparent. They also give you a sheet with the batch number, date, and the percentage of purity which is a great addition. I've had no issues all the way up to 6mg and it was very smooth throughout. When purchased with the VG/PG package you can't ask for a better base.
WIZARD LABS:
I used WL before I moved to LB. They have a pretty great product and pretty reliable. I've had an issue with them only once, but other than that a pretty good company to use.
VG/PG: Great bases. Comes in plastic, no spout cap. Very clean, flavorless. I've had absolutely no problems with their bases. A little pricier if ordering less than a gallon, but a good price at a gallon. No flavor leak, non intrusive. All you can ask for a base
NIC 100mg: A touch peppery, a little harsh, but very very slight at 3mg. At 6mg, it's a little more prominent and may cause concern for some. Plastic amber bottles, no spout. Has MSDS and COA available. A great option for those ordering their first purchase all at WL. Flavor leak extremely minimal, mixes well. I had one issue where one time I was given a batch that only kept for a month. After a month the peppery flavor was so prominent I had to throw away the entire bottle. It was very scratchy and itchy and non-vapeable. Other than this issue, this is a fine choice.
NUDE NICOTINE:
Some of the best VG/PG available with great nicotine as well. Touted as sometimes having less than stellar customer service, as well as having a few bad batches, this is a product that is good...but is a gamble. This is my experience, though.
VG/PG: Some of the best you can get. VERY clean, very crisp. Absolutely no issues, no flavor leak, flavorless, completely non-intrusive. Plastic bottles. One of the pricier options. I've had no issues with this stuff at all, and would purchase from here exclusively if it was a cheaper option.
NIC 100mg: Also an excellent product. This product really shines with it's packaging options. You can order your nic in glass which is great and best of all, you can order with ARGON for long term storage! An awesome addition I wish all suppliers had for DIY. They also have started adding LUER SLIP TOPS for their nicotine to really minimize oxidization. This is all at a cost though. There is absolutely no flavor to this, extremely clean and pure. This nicotine was also accurate. The issue comes with their track record. They have been known to have a few bad batches where the target concentration was much higher than expected. This is a big issue. Never happened to me though, and I'm very happy with my product I received.
BULL CITY VAPOR
A great company who everyone loves to use for flavorings. Not really known for their bases, they do offer a VG/PG alternative.
VG/PG: A perfectly fine option. Clean, fresh tasting, with slight flavor muting. I often use this company when ordering a bunch of flavorings and just need some VG/PG, and don't want to split up the order and be charged extra shipping. Absolutely reliable and never had any issues. You do get a slight taste. It's almost a metallic flavor, that does hurt brighter flavors. Also the flavor muting is there. I generally use this as a last resort if I'm low on base at the time and am currently reupping my stash...which is rare. I'm assuming maybe they are ordering from a large supplier, and just stocking this stuff.
NIC: BCV used to carry VapersTek, but no longer any more.
VAPE CLARITY:
A New nicotine player in the game .
VG/PG: None
NIC 100mg: I received a tester back when they first came out and was very very upset. The nicotine came with a quarter missing, a dirty and unprofessional label, clear transparent packaging, and no seal at the top. I hear this has all changed but I am only going with my experience. As for quality, it was pretty good. Clean, no flavor leak, though there was some muting that came from it. It's just a slight softness around the edges. No odor, AT ALL. Which was very surprising. Very accurate as well. The price is also one of the best available though the muting effects do keep me from using again. A great choice for a cheap nicotine IF BOTTLE PRESENTATION AND PACKAGING IS FIXED.