Where’s the best place to get bottles?
First and most obvious; the more you buy, the cheaper they get. But how many do you need? If you’re selling to friends and family, it’s worth investing in >100 in order to save in the long run. If you put the Y in DIY and don’t feel like sharing, you’ll probably get by with around a dozen bottles of various sizes, especially if some are glass (rinse and repeat)
If you’re in it to save money and make the same recipes again and again, you’ll want a few big bottles to store your mixes in and dole out over time. And on the flipside if you want to go down the rabbit hole and test every flavor individually, test and retest recipes to perfection, and generally just make this a hobby, you’ll need tons of little bottles.
Bottles are obviously an important part of the process from storing your bases to the final mix and the options and differences between them can be stifling.
^Below ^I’ll ^try ^to ^break ^down ^all ^the ^available ^options ^with ^their ^pros ^and ^cons, ^from ^the ^collected ^experience ^of ^the ^sub ^and ^my ^own ^experience, ^with ^a ^little ^science ^sprinkled ^in ^for ^fun.
Types of Bottles and their Utility
[PET] Polyethylene Terephthalate - Is transparent and rigid with slightly less chemical resistance than L/HDPE but has a significantly lower oxygen transmission rate. For practical purposes this means that PET should be better than L/HDPE for long term storage of mixes, flavors and nicotine. The downside of PET is it’s rigidity. Depending on the size and shape of the bottle it can make it difficult to dispense its contents and repeated squeezing can cause the bottle to crease. And more importantly there are certain chemicals known to ‘attack’ this type of plastic (More on that here)
[L/HDPE] Low-Density/High-Density Polyethylene - Both are highly chemical resistant, flexible and opaque. The primary difference between high and low density polyethylene is actually more about it’s tensile strength than actual density.
For almost all practical purposes related to our uses the difference is that HDPE is typically used in larger bottles (8oz+) and most sizes 4oz and under will be LDPE because it is less rigid/more squeezable than HDPE. HDPE is also typically less transparent.
Anecdotally mixes, flavors, and nicotine do seem to be affected by oxidation faster than PET or glass but this should have little impact in the range of 3-6 months.
Glass - Glass is better at everything from oxygen transmission to chemical reactivity, and possibly most importantly, reusability. When it comes to long term storage of mixes, flavors, and nicotine glass is king with one caveat--rubber droppers; “Free volume or “holes” exists in the rubber matrix. “Holes” thermally form and disappear with the movement of polymer chains. Gases are soluble in rubberlike substance. When rubber is exposed to a gas, solution occurs at the surface and the dissolved gas molecules diffuse into the interior. The diffusion of gas molecules in the rubber membrane is a process in which the gas molecules migrate from “holes” (free volume) to “holes” (free volume). The permeation of gas through a membrane involves in solution on one side, diffusion through the membrane to the other side, and finally evaporation out of membrane” In layman's terms (translated by a layman) use a phenolic/polycone cap if you want the benefits of glass to be maintained. Rubber droppers, for our intents and purposes, will lower the efficacy of glass to around the same level as PET/LDPE when used for long term storage of highly volatile flavors (see also: super/ultra concentrates) and high concentrations of nicotine prone to oxidation.
A Visual Glossary of Bottles
- Boston Round: Glass, Plastic
- Bullet/Cosmo Round
- Unicorn
- Flask
- Cylinder
- Yorker Spout
- Twist Spout
- Fine tip
The “Best” Vendors
Some of the most commonly recommended places to get bottles including a few examples of what they offer and how much each bottle will cost.
If you just want bottles:
eBay - Every type of bottle is available. A lot of free shipping options and be sure to look at where the item is being shipped from because a lot of the options are shipped directly from China (If you’ve got time for that, they will be cheaper)
Qty | Type | Price
---|--- | ---
30 | 10ml LDPE | $0.28/each
30 | 30ml PET | $0.33/each
25 | 30ml LDPE (Unicorn) | $0.60/each
100 | 60ml HDPE Yorker Spout | $0.26/each
12 | 120ml LDPE Yorker Spout | $1.00/each
Amazon - If you have prime, there are a lot of options for every variety of bottle with prime shipping (and non-prime free shipping)
Qty | Type | Price ---|--- | --- 50 | 10ml LDPE | $0.32/each 50 |30ml Vktech | $0.30/each 25 |30ml LDPE (Unicorn) | $0.58/each 25 |60ml LDPE | $0.72/each 12 |120ml LDPE (Yorker) | $1.17/each
Fasttech - If you’re into unique/weird bottles (e.g. 30ml glass skull dropper bottles) and waiting a week or six for your order to arrive, this is the best place to go.
Qty | Type | Price ---|--- | --- 5 | 10ml LDPE | $0.30/each 5 | 30ml LDPE | $0.39/each 5 | 30ml PET (Flask) | $0.42/each 5 | 60ml PET (Square) | $0.65/each 5 | 120ml PET (Unicorn) | $0.90/each
Heartland - Most options are for 10, 100 & 1500 bottles. They carry glass, L/HDPE, PET, Chubby Unicorns and have a variety of caps and droppers that can be bought separately. Bonus: A large variety of bottle and cap colors.
Qty | Type | Price ---|--- | --- 100 | 10ml LDPE | $0.21/each 100 | 30ml LDPE | $0.19/each 100 | 30ml LDPE (Unicorn) | $0.52/each 100 | 60ml PET (Unicorn) | $0.64/each 100 | 100ml PET (Unicorn) | $0.75/each
Dropperbottles - If you’re willing to buy 100 they have a great selection and some of the best prices.
Qty | Type | Price ---|--- | --- 100 | 10ml PET | $0.16/each 100 | 10ml LDPE | $0.15/each 100 | 30ml PET | $0.19/each 100 | 30ml LDPE | $0.19/each 100 | 60ml PET (Unicorn) | $0.33/each
Bigmouthboston - A unique twist on the standard boston round LDPE bottle. They have a wide opening similar to 60ml+ Chubby Gorilla’s with the same style of cap (in 5 colors). The site is run by DropperBottles and only sells the one type of bottle in 30, 50, 60, 100, 120, 240ml (100 at a time)
Qty | Type | Price ---|--- | --- 100 | 30ml LDPE | $0.30/each 100 | 50ml LDPE | $0.35/each 100 | 60ml LDPE | $0.38/each 100 | 100ml LDPE | $0.45/each 100 | 120ml LDPE | $0.48/each
Glassbottleoutlet - Possibly the best selection and prices on glass bottles with competitive prices on a decent variety of plastic bottles.
Qty | Type | Price ---|--- | --- 1+ | 30ml Glass | $0.43/each 1+ | 15ml LDPE | $0.25/each 1+ | 30ml LDPE | $0.30/each 1+ | 60ml PET (Unicorn) | $0.30/each 1+ | 120ml PET (Bullet) | $0.69/each
- And More:
- Liquidbottles
- Freund Container
- SKS Bottles
- Aliexpress
- Packaging Options Direct
- Container & Packaging
- (UK) iBottles
- (UK) Ampulla
- (UK) VapingBottles
- (UK) Lubrisolve
- (UK) The Alchemists Cupboard
- (UK) Cream Supplies
- (UK) NaturallyThinking
- (UK) Everything Liquid
If you want a side of bottles with your VG, PG, Flavors and/or Nicotine:
Bull City - An excellent selection of bottles perfect for adding to your frequent flavor orders. Prices are decent as an addon to another purchase. They carry a few sizes of glass with droppers or caps as well as a large variety of PET/LDPE bottles and individual twist/yorker style caps.
Qty | Type | Price ---|--- | --- 10 | 10ml LDPE | $0.35/each 10 | 30ml PET | $0.30/each 10 | 30ml LDPE | $0.45/each 5 | 30ml LDPE (Unicorn) | $0.65/each 5 | 60ml LDPE (Unicorn) | $0.75/each
Nicotine River - They carry a small variety of glass, larger HDPE bottles, bullet style, 30ml PET and Gorilla Unicorn bottles (and reagent bottles if you’re into that)
Qty | Type | Price ---|--- | --- 5 | 15ml LDPE (Unicorn) | $0.70/each 10 | 30ml LDPE (Unicorn) | $0.68/each 25 | 30ml PET | $0.45/each 1+ | 60ml PET Bullet | $0.50/each 1+ | 8oz HDPE Cylinder | $0.80/each
Wizard Labs - A bare bones selection of several types. Decent prices on their bottle packs.
Qty | Type | Price ---|--- | --- 10 | 10ml PET | $0.21/each 1+ | 30ml LDPE | $0.55/each 10 | 30ml PET (Bullet) | $0.40/each 10 | 120ml PET (Bullet) | $0.60/each 5 | 250ml PET (Bullet) | $0.70/each
References:
The Permeability Characteristics of Silicone Rubber
Properties Of HDPE, LDPE And PET Bottles
I bought a variety of glass bottles from Glassbottleoutlet recently, and I'm pretty happy except for one aspect: the rubber bulb on the droppers. See, all of the sizes have the exact same size bulb on them, so even on the 120ml bottles with a really long dropper, you can't easily suck up more juice into the dropper in one go than you can on a 15ml bottle. Kind of a weird oversight IMO.
Not all unicorns are made equal. YMMV.
Good point. Any experience with some that should definitely be avoided?
To get the best price on Chubby Gorilla, find sellers on ebay and then email the company and ask whether they are an authorized distro. Way cheaper than any ecig-related site.
I'm sorry I can't speak for horrible quality, but these are probably the best unicorn bottles I've ever used.
Great write up. Good info. I love dropper bottles .com and they have excellent customer service.
DIY gets you like 5-6% off
Hmmm....they sent all my bottles on time, but none of the caps were the colors I chose. They also wanted 18 dollars for shipping, for 200 60ml bottles.
Not a big deal, I dont care about the caps as long as they fit....and they did.
Heartland charges about 3 dollars more per 100, but offers free shipping at 50 dollars. It is the better deal for 200 to 500 bottles.
weird. I always buy red caps and theyre always red. I would buy from hearland but they don't carry 20ml I think and the 120ml from dropper bottles actually hold 130ml
I ordered green, blue, and purple. Invoice showed this.
Was sent white, red, and black. Their bottles are quality and the caps worked well. In that instance I had time to wait if they needed a week for new stock, but I wasnt offered that option, or any explanation.
This time I needed them fast, and went with heartland. Arrive 3 days later, and the order was perfect.
I would 100% order from either vendor again though. With prices that low they could send me any color cap they want. I dont even need that choice.
Edit: You are right about the 120s, I think they are great quality. All their bottles tend to hold a bit more than rated for.
Thanks
And I agree, I've had great experiences with them so far. Have you tried their new bottles? I don't think I'll go back to the unicorns after trying these.
I picked up a 100 pack of 60ML gorilla bottles from LIghtningvapes. After coupon and shipping ends up being 49.40 which is .49 cents per 60ML gorilla bottle, I’ll have bottles for a bit!
That's a really good deal, actually. I should edit that in.
I know someone who buys them wholesale for $206.87 a case (500) direct from CG and when you throw in the $29 shipping it comes out to around $0.47/each. So Lightningvapes is damn near wholesale and you don't have to get 500 at a time.
What's the coupon code?
Don't get caught out on ebay at this time of the year like I did. Chinese New year goes for what seems a month or two and if you buy your bottles (again, like me) and wonder why they haven't shipped yet this is why.. Had to message him after two weeks and then he told me.. I get it if your buying from fast tech, etc but on an auction site like ebay you should at least have to change your processing time or not be able to sell at all until you can ship again..
Fantastic writeup, thanks.
I recently needed 50 mls and got frustrated after not finding what I wanted at a decent price. I ended up getting the right bottle but paid more than I wanted to on ebay. This list has 3 or 4 solutions that would have been a better fit... and I even visited many of the sites you mention.
Any idea why 60ml has become more common than 50ml?
Probably because of minimum size commercially sold is 15 or 30ml, so the doubling progression of 60ml/120ml became dominant. Undoubtedly at some point manufacturers will scale back to 50ml/100ml (without dropping prices) just like every other company that makes consumable products does...
It's funny that you ask that because the other week I accidently tried to mix 60ml into an old 50ml bottle that I'd found in a drawer, it wasn't until I couldn't fit everything in that I realized. And then I thought 'what ever happened to 50ml bottles?'
I have been seeing them more lately, though. That and 100ml seem to be making a comeback. If I had to guess why 50 and 100ml went out of fashion, maybe it's because fewer people are doing the mixing math in their head? I remember liking them for that reason back when I was mostly using a notebook for my mixes.
I want to thank you probably for the second or third time for your Blue Frost recipe. I just reupped on BR Slush from OSDIY and was reminded how much I love this stuff. The original recipe not the revised version.
On topic - I use glass bottle outlets 120s and 60s when it comes to glass. You can get small cases on Amazon with the 2 day prime shipping. I found this a better alternative than buying from them directly from their website.
I use Bullcitys Chubby Gorillas for plastic. The 5 packs for $3.50 is the best deal I've found on those.
<3 thank you for the compliment, I'm glad you dig that recipe. I have to reup on BR Slush so much I'm tempted to reverse engineer the concentrate ;)
And that is a great point about GBO on Amazon, I have bunch of stuff in my order history from them and spaced on mentioning their availability there. Of course it's cheaper per bottle direct (almost half the price) but shipping from them generally starts @ $8+ so unless you're getting a lot, Prime is the way to go... and so much faster, too.
And BCF's are definitely worth throwing in to an order because if you're already there, it saves you from having to make another order with another shipping charge.
Yep. The first time I ordered from GBO it took a signifigant amount of time to receive because it came via FedEx or something. And like you said, it was expensive for the shipping, which brings the price up a ton on smaller orders, per bottle.
I looked on Amazon and did a comparison, and for 12 packs of 60ml it runs 9.99. On GBO it would run 8.16, before shipping. So in that scenario Amazon is def the better deal. I also see their 120s went up in price on Amazon, I paid 11.99 when I picked them up a year ago, and I think got them thru a 3rd party vendor named Premium Vials but they were GBO bottles.
Also, for storing the mixing VG and PG I really like those 250ml bullet bottles with the twist tops that Wizard Labs sells. I keep 3 of those (2 VG and 1 VG) and just refill them from the gallon jugs when nessicary.
510central.com LDPE bottles, all day, every day. I don't care that they're a bit more expensive. They're the best plastic bottles I've ever purchased. I've gone through 300+ now, and I've never had one defective bottle or cap. I've had one defective needle tip, but they shipped me out a 100 pack of tips that day.