I buy 3mg 70/30 vg/pg from vendors, however when making my own juice at 3mg it seems too harsh.
I've tried nicotine from two different sources both were 72mg/ml.
It's better when I lower the nic to 2mg but I wondered if it was normal?
Maybe I'm not measuring it accurately enough... I'm only making 10ml test batches so could a ~0.05ml inaccuracy be causing the issue?
Photo of nic: (http://i.imgur.com/bBoyhzU.jpg)
It is a combination of things, but mainly (IMO) it is the nicotine quality that makes the difference.
Currently using shit nicotine myself and have had to reduce the level by a third (same as you) to try to remove the 'vaping glass shards' feeling.
My shitty nic is now a few months old and it is harsh and gives a disgusting bitter taste to all mixes, a bit like the taste of walnut skin.
I assume (by the fact you are using 72mg/ml) that you are from the UK too, what vendors have you tried?
The first was from Alchemists Cupboard, was dark orange and smelt like peppery fish! I assumed it was bad and got another bottle from totally wicked (because they have a shop near by).
It's orange in color and has a very slight peppery/nutty smell but apparently it's good quality and it's pretty expensive!
I can't taste the new nic but it's just really harsh on the exhale.
Nicotine should be essentially colorless (a slight straw color is usually an indicator it's gone over for me, some are fine with it) and nearly odorless - slightly nutty at higher concentrations.
Any orange or pink goes right down the drain usually.
You do realize that it's probably oxidized and gone bad right? It's better to get some new stuff and store the excess in the freezer than keep using what you've got there.
Try Darkstar Vapors for your next nic order, best I've found in the UK, clear and odourless and they ship in amber bottles even for 100mls. I went through a few companies before finding them but I wouldn't order from anyone else now.
Yeah I've heard good reviews. What color is theirs?
It's totally colourless, maybe the slightest yellow hint but I've had this bottle for ages. I have another bottle from some random discount nic place I bought when I didn't know any better and it's straight up red by now. The difference is crazy considering I bought them a few weeks apart.
I've always had a suspicion that hype juice uses less nic then they said it contains but I could just riding the hate train.
It does sound like it might be your nicotine. Make sure it's pg based from a good dealer (I personally like vape clarity and liquid barn), shake the fuck out of it, put it in the freezer and spray some argon gas/wine preserver in it every time you open the bottle, and redistribute it into a small bottle to limit the amount of time you open your big bottle so you can cut down on its exposure to oxygen.
Normal. Not sure why this happens pretty consistently, but it does.
Edit: Apparently, I wasn't clear. Using a lower strength nic than commercial juice is normal. Nic being harsh and orange is not.
Harsh Juice Troubleshooting. There are a lot of different things that could lead to juice being harsh, I think if you've found by lowering the nic that that is the most likely culprit. It is a good idea to test if it actually is the nic, for the sake of your mixing experience, especially if you find yourself wanting more nic in your diet so to speak.