Ultimate Guide To E-liquid

What Is E-Liquid And What Is It For?

Starting at the top, e-liquid is a runny fluid that’s used by vape kits to create “vapour” (a white cloud of aerosolised liquid). It also goes by a few different names: vape juice, eliquid, vape liquid, e-juice, and cloud petrol (ok, yes, we made that last one up). However, you’ll find the other names used regularly.

Vape juice (told you) is perhaps the most important part of your vaping experience, after all, it’s the part you inhale. Every kind of kit uses it, from disposables to giant sub ohm kits, and it’s available in multiple flavours, strengths, and even thicknesses. In short, there’s a liquid out there to suit every kind of vaper.

Do E-Liquids Contain Nicotine?

The majority of vape juices will arrive pre-mixed with nicotine or have room for you to add nicotine in (we’ll get onto this later, don’t worry). For smokers, this is vital. Nicotine is the addictive agent found in cigarettes, and before the arrival of vapes, the only way to keep the sensation of “cravings” at bay would be to keep smoking or attempt to wean yourself off using patches, gum or tablets.

By containing nicotine – but by not including tobacco or producing smoke through combustion – nicotine vapes offer a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, as there is none of the tar or carcinogens that lead to smoking-related illnesses. They can, however, adequately satisfy cravings without any of the headaches or any other symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal.

Although we never recommend a vape to someone who doesn’t smoke, nicotine suspended in vape juice isn’t harmful. It is a stimulant, but its effects are no more obvious than a strong cup of coffee. If you’re a non-smoker, nicotine can cause headaches and nausea.

What’s Inside E-Liquid?

Alongside nicotine, your average e-liquid also features three other “ingredients”, these are Propylene Glycol (PG), Vegetable Glycerin (VG) and flavourings (food-grade or medical-grade).

That’s all there is to it, there are no mystery metals or secret ingredients inside your juice. The PG & VG are there to create vapour and a throat hit, the nicotine helps keep cravings satisfied and stops you from reaching for cigarettes, and the flavourings cover the “peppery” taste of nicotine and make your juice more palatable.

What Are PG And VG?

Well now that we’ve mentioned them, we had better explain what PG and VG are and what exactly they do.

Propylene Glycol can be found in a wide range of medicines, including asthma inhalers and water-soluble medicines. Its purpose in vape juice is to carry flavour and nicotine and produce vapour. The difference is that PG creates less vapour per ml than VG does, and it’s responsible for the sensation known as “throat hit” – that feeling on the back of your throat when you inhale that’s similar to a cigarette.

Vegetable Glycerine is derived from plants like soy, coconut or palm and has a wide application outside of vaping, most often used in foods and cosmetics. In your vape juice, it helps carry flavour and nicotine – like PG – but the big difference is that VG is better at creating vapour than PG and is also smoother, delivering less of a throat hit.

Almost all vape liquids feature a combination of PG and VG, and while the levels might differ – they always add up to 100%. For example, a juice that features a 50% PG concentration will also contain 50% VG. Or, if you have a 70% VG eliquid, the other 30% will be PG. These levels are known as an e-liquid’s VG/PG concentration.

Is E-Liquid Safe?

We’ve already covered why eliquid is less harmful than cigarettes, but, how can we guarantee that you’ll only receive quality products? It’s a good question. Luckily, vape liquids fall under a series of laws that control how they’re made, ensure that they’re tested and guarantee that only the best juices make their way onto shelves in the UK.

The TPD (Tobacco Products Directive) was introduced in 2016 and it changed the vaping landscape. Under this directive, any vape juice intended for sale in the UK has to undergo stringent testing to ensure no potentially dangerous elements have made their way in during manufacturing or bottling. Brands then have to register their juice with the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) and wait until they’re cleared before they can be sold.

These steps ensure that eliquids available in the UK – provided they’re purchased from a reputable source and are the genuine article – meet standards not seen in other parts of the world, all to keep vapers safe. Shortfills don’t fall under the requirements of the TPD, however, manufacturers will mix and bottle them in the same labs that they make their 10mls in, and they hit the same standards regardless of whether or not they have to by law.

Why Are There So Many Different Kinds Of E-Liquid?

Just like cereal, tea and even wine; e-liquid comes in a lot of different varieties. The sheer choice can feel a little overwhelming – why are there so many? The truth is, there needs to be an option for every kind of vaper. This means a range of price points, multiple flavours, a selection of bottle sizes, different nicotine strengths, and of course, a variety of VG/PG ratios.

The upshot is, that to make sure we carry an option for every vaper – we stock over 4,500 different vape juices. This is all well and good, but how exactly do you go about picking the right blend?

How To Pick The Right Vape Juice

Picking the right juice is easier than you might think, it comes down to three things: VG/PG ratio, nicotine strength and flavour. Getting the balance of all three is simple when you know what you’re looking for.

How To Pick The Right VG/PG Ratio

Start by finding a liquid in a VG/PG ratio that suits your vape kit, after this you’ll be able to pick a strength and flavour that will work for you.

If you’re using an MTL (Mouth To Lung) kit, they create a small amount of vapour and feature coils with small wicking holes. This means they require a thinner liquid that’s easy for the coils to absorb and produces a small amount of vapour. In this case, your best choice will be a 50/50 e-liquid If you’re looking for even less vapour you can try a high PG juice.

Sub ohm kits created for DTL (Direct To Lung) vaping, are designed to deliver larger amounts of vapour. This means they’ll have a high power output and use coils below 1.0 Ohm (hence ‘sub ohm’). To create that larger amount of vapour you’ll need a thick liquid that has a high VG content, 70% VG e-liquid is often the best bet.

For more information on MTL and DTL vaping, we recommend you check out our Short Beginner’s Guide To Vaping.

How To Pick The Right Nicotine Strength & Type

Picking the right nicotine strength is all about finding a level that keeps your cravings satisfied. The easiest way to figure this out is to base your strength on how many cigarettes you smoke, or used to smoke. Below is a table to help get you started; you might have to experiment a little bit to find the right one, but most vapers find they know after a couple of days what works for them.

If you find you’re experiencing slight feelings of nausea, this is an indicator that you have picked too high a strength, don’t worry, the effects wear off very quickly. If your cravings don’t feel satisfied after vaping or if you find you’re having to use your device a lot, this normally means your strength is too low. If in doubt, try a slightly lower strength and you can always go higher.

A Quick Word On Nicotine Types

Freebase nicotine is often viewed as the “classic” type of nic. It's characterised by its strong throat hit, with higher levels delivering more of a hit. Aside from the sensation you experience when vaping it, freebase nicotine keeps cravings satisfied for longer compared to other nic types.

Nicotine salt delivers a much smoother throat hit – even in high strengths – and it allows people to vape a higher nic level without it feeling too harsh. This means that vapers can satisfy their cravings by vaping less and experiencing a more comfortable vape too. Although quicker and smoother, nic salts don’t satisfy cravings for as long as freebase.

If you’re looking for the best of both worlds, a hybrid nicotine e-liquid is your best bet. These juices combine freebase and nic salt, for a mid-level throat hit and vape that satisfies cravings quickly and for longer. The only drawback is that not a lot of brands have created hybrid juices, so there’s not as much variety when it comes to flavour and the same goes for nic strength.

How To Pick The Right Flavour

We have one hard and fast rule when it comes to flavour: the best vape flavour is the one that stops you from smoking. This means different things to different people. Some vapers find that sticking to one flavour works best, while others recommend switching things up regularly.

Either way, with 4,500 different vape liquids to choose from, you certainly have a lot of options! When you’re just getting started, you’ll probably sway towards picking a blend that reminds you of smoking, like tobacco juices and menthol liquids, or you’ll want to try something completely different that doesn’t remind you of the smokes; which is why fruit vapes like blueberry e-liquids and strawberry e-juice are so popular.

A bit of experimentation goes a long way and trying a couple of different ones will greatly increase your chance of finding a vape that tastes perfect. Need a bit of inspiration? Our best vape flavours guide is a great place to start or you can view our flavours all in place.

Understanding Bottle Sizes

Vape juice is available in a range of sizes, from pocket-friendly 10ml bottles to giant 200ml juices, and this means options to suit every budget. However, there are a few key differences between bottle sizes that are important to know. It’s all to do with the TPD.

Essentially, since 2017, any juice that contains nicotine can be sold in bottles no larger than 10ml and strengths no higher than 20mg. It’s important to note that a 10ml bottle is enough to fill a vape kit fully five times and a 20mg strength will easily satisfy the cravings of a heavy smoker.

But, what if you want to vape with nicotine and use a bottle larger than 10ml? Enter the shortfill.

Shortfills are underfilled bottles of zero-nicotine vape liquid. They’re underfilled as this leaves room for you to add a nicotine shot (a flavourless e-liquid in, usually, an 18mg or 20mg strength). The 0mg liquid dilutes the high nicotine content of your shot; it’s a bit like creating a cocktail, where the mixer dilutes the spirit.

10ml Bottles VS Shortfills

So, now that you know the difference between 10ml eliquids and shortfills, you’re probably wondering, which is best for you. Before you go running off to buy a load of shortfills and nic shots, there are a few things you should know.

If you’re just starting, 10ml e-liquids are probably going to be the best choice, as you might know exactly what flavour and nic strength you’ll prefer. 10ml bottles offer a cheaper way to experiment and find your best fit. You’re also more likely to be using an MTL kit, and 10ml juices are largely available in 50/50 and high PG concentrations, but that’s not the case with shortfills.

Most shortfills have a high VG content, and this isn’t accidental, it’s all to do with nic shots. Nic shots can't be sold in strengths higher than 20mg/ml (they are eliquid, after all). This means even if you added a high-strength, 20mg shot to your shortfill – you’d still only create a 3.3mg/ml juice. This is fine for sub ohm kits, but, for MTL kits this might not be high enough. This is why manufacturers create shortfills predominantly in high VG concentrations because they understand that 3mg eliquids are mainly used for DTL vaping.

Picking The Right E-Liquid: The Vape Club Cheatsheet

Now, that was a lot of information! If your head is spinning, we understand completely. But once you’ve picked out a few juices and vaped them, you’ll start getting an understanding of what works best. Below is a quick recap on the best kinds of eliquid for both MTL and DTL vape kits – you can use this cheatsheet whenever you like and feel free to share it with friends and family if they’re running into problems selecting the best vape juice.

How Long Does A Bottle Of E-Liquid Last?

How long a bottle lasts will depend on how much you vape and what kind of kit you’re using. Based on our own experience, a 10ml bottle of liquid used with a low-wattage MTL kit should last as long as 50 cigarettes would. So, you can work out how long a bottle lasts based on how much you smoke. This will differ between vapers, but after a couple of weeks, you’ll have a handle on how much juice you get through.

If you’re looking at getting a sub ohm kit this changes things. These powerful vapes go through more liquid at a faster rate to create a larger amount of vapour for a DTL (Direct To Lung) inhale. This means you’re going to need to stay stocked up and this is why shortfills are so useful.

How Do I Mix Nic Shots Into A Shortfill?

This all depends on what size shortfill you’re using and what strength you’d like to vape. Almost every kind of shortfill is intended to be turned into a 3mg eliquid (there are some exceptions) and mixed with an 18mg shot. So, here’s how to create a 3mg eliquid from the following shortfills.

If you’re looking for a lower strength, you don’t add fewer nic shots, you just pick one in a lower nic strength. For example, picking a 9mg shot will create 1.5mg e-liquid without having to adjust any quantities.

What’s The Best Vape Juice Brand?

We never play favourites, but if you’re trying to figure out the best e-liquid brand you should look at exactly what you want your juice to do. For example, some manufacturers specialise in creating 50/50 liquids and won’t be compatible with your sub ohm kit, and vice versa.

If you’re looking for something like the best budget eliquids, some selections immediately come to mind - like 88vape and Resalt; the same goes if you’re looking for premium vape juices – check out Doozy Vape and Supergood. Chances are, if you find a flavour or two you like in a particular range, there will be other blends that fit the bill.

At the end of the day, you should always feel free to experiment and not rely too heavily on brand loyalty. That’s why we’ve made sure our multi-buys are available across different brands with the option to mix and match.

Can I Buy E-Liquid Online?

Yes, you can! Maybe you haven’t got time to go to the local vape store or perhaps the corner shop has a range that’s a little limited. Either way, being able to buy your e-liquid at Vape Club is a handy alternative to getting yourself down the shops. As long as you’re over the age of eighteen and live in the UK, you can take advantage of our huge range, with over 4,500 different e-liquids on offer, plus, multi-buys, and free next-day delivery on orders £20 and over.

Can I Make My Own Vape Juice?

With the right tools and ingredients, you can create an e-liquid all of your own. DIY e-liquid mixing requires a bit of effort and time, but offers a cost-effective way to create a blend that tastes just how you like it. We carry a full range of flavour concentrates, with options from big brands like Dinner Lady and Vampire Vape, as well as distilled VG/PG and nicotine shots. Combine the three together and you’ve created your own e-liquid. If you’re looking for more advice on how to create your own juice, check out our DIY E-Liquid Guide.

How Can I Save Money On Vape Juice?

A lot of people make the switch to vaping because of how much money they can save, and if you’re looking to stretch your budget even further, here are a few of our top tips:

Take Advantage Of Eliquid Multi-Buys

Almost every e-liquid you see on our site is available as part of a mix-and-match multi-buy, which means you can take your pick from different flavours, strengths and brands, all while spending a little less. If you’re looking for 10ml bottles, our 3 for £10 and 4 for £10 multi-buys are where it’s at, and these selections include nic salt and freebase e-liquids from a range of manufacturers. If you’re after larger shortfills you can find big bottles of your favourite flavours in our 2 for £20 and 2 for £25 deals.

Check Out Our Clearance Section

We’re constantly getting new products in and you’d be amazed at how much e-liquid we have on offer. In order to make room we’ll put a lot of products in our clearance section! This means premium liquids (we don’t stock any other kind) at a price lower than RRP. This includes brands from the UK and US, in your choice of flavours, available as nic salts, shortfills and freebase.