Mods, sorry if this isn't the right place for this, please delete.
So, I've done a lot of research, read the wiki and the sidebar links extensively. I wanna do this. Definitely. I'm hoping there's a 1:1 Muffinman recipe that I can find somewhere -- otherwise I'll just have to make it. But as to the reason for my post: there are multiple "starter kits" for sale, each with their pros and cons. One comes with an awesome amount of VG/PG/Nic/Lab supplies...but shitty flavorings. Others come with "meh" VG/PG/Nic/LS but the flavorings that everyone uses.
I'm asking for someone to sell me the starter kit that they WISH they could have ordered. That SHOULD be available somewhere for people that are just beginning.
So, pretend I have nothing (and honestly, no need to pretend -- I have nothing). Sell me all the stuff I need to do this thing. As far as flavorings, I assume I'll just order those myself, but wouldn't mind some input on what to grab (say 10 max). My favorite juices are Looper, Muffinman, strawberry and custard/yogurt flavors in general.
Please, help me out diy_ej (is that how you guys abbreviate? There's gotta be something better). In all seriousness, if someone would help me out, that would be fucking awesome.
Our first stop will be Amazon.com
- Get scale
- Get your PG and VG
- You'll need to get squeeze bottles for your PG and VG (get 2)
Next stop is Bull City Vapor
- Get 15ml or 30ml bottles of flavor that you have picked from this list
- Get bottles here if you need them
- Get a few pipettes to transfer your nicotine to solution
Nicotine Stop
- NudeNicotine or Vapers Tek for nicotine (get 50/50 or more PG than VG)
If you like Looper, get these flavors. /u/shrine399 did a great job on that recipe. Don't get more than 10ml of any of the FA ingredients to start with
How is ED VG? I've only used TFA and NN VG, and like it quite a bit.
In addition, the main tell-tale flavor notes of Looper, to me, are Berry Crunch, Meringue, and Bavarian Cream/Marshmallow (hard to tell if it's a mix or one or the other). If you find yourself limited on cash/can't find the full set of flavors for my recipe, just get those 3-4, mix at 6-7%/2-3%/2-6% respectively. Minus some background notes, this will get you very close to a Looper-like flavor with plenty of room for tweaks.
Also, don't get suckered into buying premixed nicotine bases. They degrade much quicker, and generally make juice taste bad. Stick to the 100mg/mL PG base. If working with that strong of nicotine worries you, grab 48 or 72mg/mL and you'll be fine.
How much quicker? I usually buy 500ml/3mg and haven't noticed any taste change by the time it's empty.
I'd guess about twice as fast. The amount of posts that I've seen where nic is giving a terrible taste has been simply because the premixed base is 2 months old. Do you go with a high PG base by any chance?
Sidebar for your flavorings. "My First Order" flavors.
We usually just call it the sub, or DIY when shortening the name.
If you have amazon prime, I can link you all the starter kit items that are absolutely necessary.
edit: as for the nicotine and PG/VG, pick those up from whatever site you use to buy your flavors.
I do have Amazon Prime, I think for the next..eh 3 or 4 days lol, so time is of the essence.
currently out of stock for Prime, but the best DIY scale http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UGBG20/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=
Great bottles for making test batches, since they're <15mL and you won't waste much flavoring making a small batch http://www.amazon.com/plastic-dropper-Dropping-Bottles-removable/dp/B00KD76CO8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434336002&sr=8-1&keywords=30+mL+bottles
-
http://www.amazon.com/Pack-10ML-10CC-Syringe-needle/dp/B00FHLJUXA/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1434335760&sr=8-11&keywords=10cc+oral+syringe
-
http://www.amazon.com/New-Star-26146-Plastic-12-Ounce/dp/B009LS6HG8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1434335844&sr=8-9&keywords=plastic+bottles&pebp=1434335847689&perid=B51D2CA07C714D7F90FB
These two I like to use in conjunction. Put your VG and PG into these bottles, and cut the tip JUST far enough to fit the tip of the syringes into the top of the cap. Mess-free and hassle-free VG handling, and makes it very easy to make 10-50mL batches of juice.
Use these to weigh out your flavoring on a drop-by-drop basis, since syringes are quite difficult to get .02mg out without overdoing it. http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Transfer-Pipettes-Gradulated-Pack/dp/B005IQTSE0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434335738&sr=8-1&keywords=disposable+pipettes&pebp=1434335748222&perid=64C80A1A3ABE4A308A40
Here you go....from tfa 140 bottles of different flavors in 15ml bottles for $172. I wish I would've jumped on that when I first started. https://shop.perfumersapprentice.com/p-7550-box-of-140-15ml-bottles.aspx
From someone who is only a few weeks into this: Pick out a few recipes that sound good, or clones of juices which you like. Go to Bull City Vapor and grab the flavors required in those recipes, along with the popular others you'll find in the sidebar. I found myself finding a few recipes I liked after my initial purchase and having to order more and more flavorings each time I wanted to make one. Hope this helps, and good luck!!!
Over at ELR we started to design some DIY-starter packs - have a gander - Maybe there are some tips you can use?
Locate one of the fizzmustard recipes, buy flavors necessary. Pick up a decent size vg bottle, a sample of nude nicotine, syringes n bottles. It's that easy. Wizard labs is cheap to sample things. Don't buy a kit or flavors on a whim, have recipes that you want to try beforehand that are reputable and suit your pallette.