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A friend says my juice lasts 1/3 as long as store bought...
submitted almost 9 years ago by contactclosure

I'm a little baffled by this one. This guy has been vaping for about 7 years. He's very analytical and smart. He pays attention more than most people do. He goes through a 120ml of my juice in 7 days. The store bought 50ml he was buying lasted him 9 days. Same tank, same wattage, same VG/PG ratio.

 

My first response was "yeah my juice is pretty awesome, I vape the shit out of it too". He corrected me saying his consumption MAY have went up 20%. Not threefold.

 

At the moment I use Liquid Barn VG, PG and nic (VG based).

The recipe he vapes is 75VG, 1.5 mg/ml.

5% TFA Grape Juice

1.25% INW Eukaliptus Z Mieta.

 

The only culprit I can even fathom is the VG. I didn't notice a difference when I switched from RTS to LB VG though.

Anyone else ever got any feedback like this? Anyone have any clue what's causing it?

Thanks a million in advance for any advice or tips.

 

ETA - The store bought he uses is a mint mix and his cleito coils last a month.

This mix is very clean burning but his old juice was as well.

Comments
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30 points
 
by UncleManifestoralmost 9 years agoMixologist

It is probably the lack of sweetener in your juices.

Less gunk on the coils means that the heat transfer is more efficient between the coil and the wick, therefore more juice is vaporised.

Three options for your pal:

  1. Add sweetener.

  2. Lower the wattage (to replicate the effect of gunked coils).

  3. Increase the nicotine level (so that he vapes less).

9 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

I tried to list all of the pertinent information and you still hit on a point I missed. His store bought mix is chosen solely on the coil life he gets out of it. It's just a mint mix that lets him replace a coil monthly.

16 points
 
by UncleManifestoralmost 9 years agoMixologist

It is a special skill of mine...

Anyway, the whole situation now sounds like it should be added to the list of unsolved mysteries. I would either attribute it to climate change or to aliens having a cheeky vape whilst your friend is asleep.

With the new information that you have provided, the only course of action I would take would be to increase the price of the liquid.

9 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

I think his wife has been getting into it, a claim she boldly denies.

6 points
 
by Reldofalmost 9 years ago

Also he may like the taste more so he is just actually vaping more. Its hard to believe that store bought lasts more than twice as long. Try what @UncleManifestor says.

4 points
 
by Binsky89almost 9 years ago

Definitely vaping more. When I started making my own my consumption basically doubled. The fact that it tastes awesome coupled with the fact that 30ml is only $1.50 makes me vape a lot of it.

12 points
 
by _Yodaialmost 9 years ago

No offence, but your friend is blowing clouds IMO.

Even if the ratios of juice, and or additives are the same, there is going to be very little difference of vapor being produced by your mix versus store brand.

Nicotine aside, the majority of the volume in juice is mostly PG and VG no matter how you slice it (most flavorings are PG based) , and unless the additives used are SUPER high, and even then, it's not going to change it that much and no where near the amount your friend is reporting.

Straight fact, he/she likes your juice and is hitting it a lot even if they realize it or not.

3 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

To make sure we're talking about the same thing, he's not commenting on vapor production. He claims that his vaping habits have not changed. Same size hits, same number of hits, same tank, same wattage but he uses 3 times as much juice per week. There's no puddle under the mod the next morning either, that was my 2nd question.

 

I really did try to give him an out by saying that I find myself zoning out while chain vaping this mix and going through 3-5ml like it's nothing.

7 points
 
by _Yodaialmost 9 years ago

Yeah, it HAS to be using it more, there is nothing else that can account for it, unless there is something he's not telling you.

Either way I would just put it like this "How much is mine versus the store?", because DIY rocks ;p

2 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

Apparently mine is a little more than 1/3 of the store because it ends up costing more to vape mine. Sad face. I was hoping one of the illuminati would chime in about compounds, volitiles or some other shit I barely understand. /u/abdada, does paging you work these days? If anyone would have a crazy (and logical) reason for this it would be you.

1 points
 
by Binsky89almost 9 years ago

Have you tested your nic base? Is possible that the nic is lower than labeled causing him to have to vape more.

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

I have not. I have 2 friends that vape higher nic and they have said that mine is stronger than store bought if anything. I've always suspected that some juice companies skimp on nic. I do not. My base may be 95 or 105 mg/ml but it's pretty damn close to advertised. I'm kind of a wuss these days. 2 mg is harsh to me now.

10 points
 
by puffpepalmost 9 years ago

So does he find that he's having to charge his batteries more often with your juice too?

3 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

Now THAT'S a good fucking question. Well played. I will certainly be asking him.

3 points
 
by chocolatiestcupcakealmost 9 years ago

How about you test it out yourself, get the juice he is talking about and the juice you give him. and science

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

I thought about this. I won't be able to test it quite as accurately as I'd like but I should be able to tell the difference.

1 points
 
by tanknyankinalmost 9 years agoOne of "The Damned"

check the batch number how old is the flavoring your using, has it been on a shelf steeping at the factory or made 4 days ago. Inquiring minds want to know!

6 points
 
by iamnotmagrittealmost 9 years ago

Yeah, he's vaping more and not realizing it. Your juice may be smoother due to the nic you're using, or the flavors may be smother. I'm also guessing that menthol is pretty harsh (and not something you want to chain vape on) so that may be a reason he goes through more. Considering yours is cheaper he probably don't monitor his consumption as much either.

I think you have two options:

  1. Leave a bottle of nic with the cap off for a week to make his juice taste shittier.

  2. Raise the nic level or pg and/or add some menthol for some throat hit.

2 points
 
by Reldofalmost 9 years ago

Not a week that would make it not taste at all, try 12 hours.

1 points
 
by letstablethisfornowalmost 9 years ago

I second the menthol observation. Overdid it with menthol on a small batch and it took me at least 2x as long to consume. Massive throat hit but I kind of liked it.

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

Have you tried INW Eucalyptus with Mint? It's pretty intense. Some people can't handle it over 0.25%. I've got it at 1.25% here.

1 points
 
by 510Threadedalmost 9 years ago

4% Koolada in one of my ADVs....

5 points
 
by BlazeDemBeatzalmost 9 years agoMentholatier

I'm calling bullshit on your friend...he admitted his consumption went up 20%... hes vaping more... hes using 1/3 more juice... hes heating the coil up more and burning more liquid... me personally, sometimes i vape a 3ml tank and wonder where the hell it went, sometimes it lasts me hours... wether hes smart or not, it dont mean hes always going to be 100% correct...that shit reminds me of like someone buying weed and telling you it had stems in it or something because he thinks your gonna offer some sort of freebie or consolation...I think personally hes looking to get a freebie from you cuz he thinks he can and its nothing to do with the juice itself...

4 points
 
by MineDoggeralmost 9 years agoMixologist

The only thing I can think of is either the store brand has other additives that raise the vapor temp, or that when they list the VG content they're estimating the ratio differently.

3 points
 
by Chriswheelaalmost 9 years ago

Maybe it tastes so good he vapes it more ;)

9 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

I said that exact thing in the most tactful way. "Yeah shit's good as fuck amirite?!" Then went up for the high 5. It was not reciprocated.

8 points
 
by rivinhalalmost 9 years agoPâtissier

Honestly, I've dealt with something similar before man (though in my situation the guy was just trying to con me into lowering my prices for him).

My advice to you? Remember this:

You're selling the same amount, for the same price, always. And there's no real reason your e-juice would vaporize at a greater rate than any others (at a substantial rate at least). So unless you're fucking up on your nicotine calculations (If that's the case, then it's entirely on you, and you need to fix that and apologize.), it's your customer's issue, not yours. I don't want to sound like a total douchebag, but it's probably because your juice is higher quality that what he's used to, and he doesn't realize he's vaping so much of it. That can happen when you have higher quality ingredients.

If he decides that he can't control himself and he wants to buy overpriced shitty shop juice, that's his decision.

3 points
 
by BlazeDemBeatzalmost 9 years agoMentholatier

tbh i think this is the case for him too... the guy obviously hasnt mentioned it but it sounds to me like hes trying to pull one over on this guy... probably expects him to make a free offer or is going to eventually act like he wants a refund or discount or something...he cant go to the shop and tell them he wants the juice for cheaper but he can "try" it with a personal friend. The guy whos complaining sounds like total bs...

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

Solid advice. Thank you. I'm pretty relentless when it comes to accuracy so I know the nic is right. I gave him a break on a big bottle until I could research this and now I plan to go back to our regularly scheduled programming. I probably charge a little more than some DIY'ers but sometimes I deliver to his house on 2 hours notice. That costs more than the juice does. ;-)

3 points
 
by leapinglabratsalmost 9 years ago

The only thing that affects my consumption is nic. Even if it's the same strength, the quality will have a big impact on throat hit. If your buddy vapes nic that is slightly harsh and your nic is smooth, yours will feel weaker even though they are the same strengthwise.

2 points
 
by Roenixxalmost 9 years ago

I'm with you on this. A friend recently bought me a 30ml bottle of juice to try and duplicate and when it's in my tank I'll only take a couple draws off it at a time and I've had it for a week now and think I've barely used half. When I make myself juice I burn through 120ml in a week easy, and I have noticed I'll chain vape it until my tank is empty. Store bought juice with any harshness heavily slows my consumption

3 points
 
by Silba93almost 9 years ago

He's lying, mistaken or trying to con you.

Your juice doesn't run out quicker unless he ia using it quicker. The coil change could be the culprit though as I went from regular coils to claptons and they produce more vapour thus consuming more juice.

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

He just put in a new coil of the same type he had been using before.

3 points
 
by Silba93almost 9 years ago

He's lying, mistaken or trying to con you.

Your juice doesn't run out quicker unless he ia using it quicker. The coil change could be the culprit though as I went from regular coils to claptons and they produce more vapour thus consuming more juice.

2 points
 
by MadddBladealmost 9 years ago

I haven't really heard of a problem like this, maybe it could be his atomizer? And I go through bottles at different paces, maybe he has been vaping more and just hasn't noticed it.

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

He did say that he changed to a new coil not long after switching to my juice. Same resistance coil though.

1 points
 
by legoenwanalmost 9 years ago

Do you know what type of coil the old one was, and what type the new one is?

Different designs could potentially have an effect on the amount of juice used...though I doubt it would be as drastic of an increase as 3x.

On a side note, I just started DIY this past week, and I've immediately noticed I go through a tank (3.5ml) in hours.. where before it used to last me a full day no problem (same coil/tank). This is likely due to the fact I'm taste testing / finally vaping juice I actually enjoy so I hit it harder/more often.

2 points
 
by ibeinspirealmost 9 years ago

This is a hella good way to stop vaping a friend's juice you don't like anymore without hurting their feeling.

Personally I dont pull this kind of shit but maybe your friend isn't of the confrontational type?

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

I would normally agree but he's bought 16oz so far haha. Plus he absolutely IS the confrontational type.

1 points
 
by ibeinspirealmost 9 years ago

In that case maybe evaporation?

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

I tried to go down this road but it doesn't make sense. I could see the INW EZM being fast to evaporate but it's 1.25% of the bottle. VG doesn't evaporate for shit. I could see 4oz evaporating over 6 or 12 months but not 7 days.

2 points
 
by TogiraIkonoka0618almost 9 years agoDiketones, Schmiketones

This may have been answered in the comments and I missed it but what nic level was the store brand stuff he vaped. It's been a while since I bought eliquid but with the vast majority of juices I bought the lowest they went was 3mg/ml

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

I thought about that earlier. The store bought was 3mg/ml. I had mentioned that when he brought this up and he said that it hadn't affected the amount he has been vaping. That's hard to believe though. Even if the lower nic caused each hit to be 150% as long, that could affect the total consumption at the end of the week.

1 points
 
by TogiraIkonoka0618almost 9 years agoDiketones, Schmiketones

I'm calling bullshit. I'd almost guarantee he has increased his vaping. I know for a fact especially when I first step down, my juice intake goes up. It's not something I necessarily notice as I'm doing it, but my puff count definitely goes up as evidenced by my juice consumption

That pared with your probably superior eliquid is probably what his increased consumption is due to

1 points
 
by legoenwanalmost 9 years ago

so he switched to juice that has 2x less nicotine......and he is confused why he is vaping more? seems pretty straightforward haha to get same nic in his blood he'd have to tape twice as much would he not?

> The store bought was 3mg/ml. I had mentioned that when he brought this up and he said that it hadn't affected the amount he has been vaping. That's hard to believe though. Even if the lower nic caused each hit to be 150% as long, that could affect the

2 points
 
by R08U57almost 9 years ago

When people buy in volume they also tend to consume in volume. When friends and family buy from me they enjoy the juice more, their coils last WAY longer and they get 4-6x the amount of juice they would from their usual shop. In the rare occasion I buy juice from a vendor I find it lasts way longer because I know it cost more so I'm more frugal with it.

1 points
 
by 00Danalmost 9 years ago

It's possible your juice is vaporizing cleaner.

He may be in the habit of changing coils every xxx days from his old juice it might be gunking up his coils faster.

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

He used to get a month out of his coils on the store juice. I bet he will get at least that long out of this mix. I had a badly gunked up atty from another mix and didn't feel like rewicking. I put this mix in it because I knew the flavor would cut through. After a day with this mix in it the cotton was clean and stayed that way for 2 weeks until I rewicked. It's some pretty magical shit.

1 points
 
by Burritoclockalmost 9 years ago

I wish I had gotten a month out of cleito coils... holy shit.

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

Recipe listed above. ;-)

1 points
 
by Vendeta44almost 9 years ago

>cleito coils last a month

hoooow??!?! I am lucky to get a week and a half from mine.

2 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

Try the mix I posted. I bet it'll last for at least 8oz, ever how long that takes you to vape. Which will be approximately 1/3 as long as it does now. ;-)

1 points
 
by exoticCentipedealmost 9 years ago

A week and a half? The missus has to change hers like every 3 days.

1 points
 
by [deleted]almost 9 years ago

[removed]

1 points
 
by vaparagnoalmost 9 years ago

I think we've finally found a legitimate use for the puff counter feature on some mods. If he has it ask him to use it and report back after a few days. I'm thinking his perception might differ from reality

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

True. I don't think his mod has that and the only mod I have w a puff counter resets every time you set it down.

1 points
 
by Pandeponalmost 9 years ago

I have to admit, I also go through my juice a hell of a lot faster than I did store bought, but then again I went from tank to RDA around the same time I began making juice. I probably consume a 30 ml bottle in 3-4 days.

VG is pretty much the same thing no matter what the brand, unless someone sits down and does hardcore experiments with all the different brans of VG/PG and knows the brand the companies use you cannot know for 100% but I am pretty dang sure that stuff doesn't make a difference in how quickly something vaporizes. I imagine its the additives like sweeteners that puts strain on the coils and wicks in the store bought brands.

If someone ever decides to experiment to find results on this I'd be interested to know [chances are you and a couple of friends would have to test this consistently each person doing the same setup, the same wattage, the same variations of juice, time how much of a hit you take/how often you take it, etc to get reliable results on how long it takes to vape through something with sweetener vs without sweetener and the condition of the coils afterwards, having them take notes on the experience too.

1 points
 
by contactclosurealmost 9 years ago

When people ask how much juice I use I always tell them that I pour more juice down the drain than most people vape. When you DIY it doesn't matter.

I'd like to do a fairly solid experiment on this but I don't have the time to document it properly. If I had a mod with a puff counter and a programmable timer for each hit then it would be easy.

1 points
 
by tanknyankinalmost 9 years agoOne of "The Damned"

viscosity plays and important role not all VG/PG is manufactured the same. Just a few .01 of a percent can change the blend. are you mixing by weight or volume? that will have an effect on accuracy.

1 points
 
by CndConnectionalmost 9 years ago

I too am very confused by this. I started DIY this month.

If I go to the store and buy a 30ml bottle of my favorite juice it will take me about 5 days to finish it. If it's over the weekend yeah I can go through it from Friday night to like Monday afternoon.

Now if I make a DIY mix at home for 30ml I can vape 1/3 of the bottle before the night is over and by the next end of day it's near empty. I'm vaping through my shit like insanely fast. I made a 15ml last night and it's empty right now at 2:36 PM cuz I vaped it all.

I'm not going for breaks more often at work nor spending more time outside vaping yet I'm blasting through my DIY juices like no tomorrow.

I just don't know why. My buddy who also DIYs was like "well yeah you like what you make so you vape it hard and since you don't have to pay crazy prices for it you're not second guessing a re-drip" I thought about it but I still felt like I wasn't actually vaping more often.

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