So I am looking to get into DIY, have read all the FAQs and searched some old posts. I must say, comparing all the vendors in order to pick one is quite daunting.
I found a discussion of nicotine quality, but it is 4 years old so the info may not be current. What is the current consensus on nicotine suppliers?
I am looking for a reputable US-based source of high quality nic that also sells flavors and supplies. Price isn't terribly important, since I'll be starting with small quantities.
On a related note: do most of you tend to buy your nic at 10% (100mg), or go with 4.8% (48mg) so as to avoid having to pay (and wait) for HazMat shipping?
The best nic is from Carolinaxtract, pricey but you definitely get what you pay for. Great longevity too, had a 120ml bottle in the freezer for nearly 3 years and it was just as fresh as new. CX also comes in amber glass bottles and pretty sure it is sealed with argon to maintain freshness. All other nic suppliers come in plastic bottles that are best transferred to amber glass bottles for storage.
Second best nic I have tried is from liquid nicotine wholesalers, tied with Vaperstek. I might like LNW a little more, very clean nic, came so clear I thought it might be straight PG. I would buy whichever is cheaper. You can find a coupon code for LNW at ELR.
Liquidbarn has great nic but unless on sale can be a little pricey and not better than the 3 listed above, might be as good as Vaperstek and LNW though.
Results have been mixed for me when it comes to nic at river supply (formerly known as nicotine river) I no longer order nic from them unless it is salt nic.
Most of the suppliers above have a limited selection of flavors with the exception of River Supply, CX has no flavors. My 2 go to for flavors is mostly Bull City Flavors and River Supply. River supply has 3 main advantages, best price for VG/PG, $50 threshold for free shipping and sample sizes come in 15ml for the same price as others 10ml. BCF is awesome though and there shipping is lightning fast. BCF also has a better selection and both have excellent CS.
> tied with Vaperstek. I might like LNW a little more, very clean nic,
I didn't know this. I think I'll give them a shot here soon. A liter of 100mg for $50 sounds good to me. My last liter from VT was around $80.
Over on ELR a lot of people are discovering LNW and so far everyone is impressed, that is where I found out about them too. I got their salt nic as well that a friend of mine has been using exclusively for a while now. I haven't had a chance to try it but the normal nic is really good. Let us all know if you get it and what you think.
> friend of mine
Was it Leticia? I've seen her posting about it. I'll keep it in mind. Yeah, I'll definitely post my thoughts on it. I'm glad you said something about them. I think I've only done a quick glance there before. Now I'm a little stoked to try them out.
I use Liquid Nicotine Wholesale for my nicotine and Nicotine River for most of my flavors.
Heart Land Vapes has been my go to price and quality has been outstanding, I was using Nic River but their to slow on shipping.
Heart Land also has cheap big bottles of flavors.
Been an HV fan for years. I like that they use hard plastic or glass bottles. Everything from NicRiv is in squeeze plastic.
> fan for years. I like that they use hard plastic or glass bottles. Everything from NicRiv is in squeeze plastic.
All my flavors from NR have come in PET dropper bottles. The newer ones rock, so do their labels now.
+1 for Liquid Nicotine Wholesalers, at first the price drew me into them, but after a couple years now, I give them my highest recommendation. crystal clear still, great packaging, phenomenal pricing. always impressed.
Carolina Xtraction if you want the longest shelf lift, since it will have the least oxygen in it and is shipped in glass bottles.
It should also be the purest since they extract from American organically-grown tobacco to reduce the possibility of chemical contaminants in the product.
Hartland Vapes NicSelect 100mg/ml, 100%VG.
Comes in super black plastic bottles.
My 1,000 ml bottle has survived over 3 years in a ziploc bag in the freezer.
Thaw it to room temp in a sink of tap water and shake it vigorously for a few minutes.
I mix every two weeks.
Never peppery, always consistent.
Most will probably recommend CarolinaXtract as the best, but no one i know actually uses them. Their nicotine is great though. Liquid Barn's CNT nicotine is what i recommend. CNT seems to be a great nicotine source and i trust Liquid Barns manufacturing the most. They are one of the only places I've never had and quality issues with.
What's you take on Liquid Barn's BASE as far as quality and an entry point?
Just ordered some. I think its pretty good. But Ive only tried liquid barn and vapor vapes. I enjoy both. Liquid barn is a bit cheaper price though.
Edit spelling
Vote of confidence when they get repeat business on the product you're interested in 👍
Bad idea unless you vape unflavored (exclusively) or every recipe you mix uses the same amount of flavoring. There's no nicotine fairy who magically returns the nicotine concentration to 3mg/ml (or whatever) after you add some volume without nicotine (such as flavoring.) And you want to avoid fluctuating nicotine levels.
I've been using Wizard Labs for years now and have never had a complaint with their service or the products.
They also sell sample vials of many different companies flavors and bottles and syringes. So it's my one stop shop when the creative bug bites me.
My first bottle of WL nic ran me a couple of years, kept it in a dorm fridge the whole time and never had an issue. Second bottle seems to be doing just fine.
Vapertek sells 100 mg/ml Chemnovatic nic and it's free shipping over 75 bucks.
Also, is there such a thing as bad nicotine? I see posts like this from time and I truly wonder if any of the main companies sell anything but quality nicotine. I don't see how it matters, just shop on price and shipping and it will be fine.
The ChemNovatic from River Supply is good and fair priced.
I buy it in 100mg, honestly its 5 days travel time with Hazmat which is just ground vs 3 days air. If you order it today I'm confident you'll get it by Friday if this week wasn't thanksgiving. Though I'd wait for the black friday sale they will most likely have.
nic river has discontinued chemnovatic.
Aw, I just looked on the site and it was there. They just got supply left they are selling?
I am enjoying Nude Nicotine's 100mg.