When you first pick up a vape pen, you might be a bit overwhelmed at the sheer range of e-liquids and accessories available to you. With the number of flavours, strengths, different compositions, brands and more on the market, it might seem like an impossible task to pick only one!
Just to make things seem even more difficult, not only do you have to pick an e-liquid that suits you, but you also need one that suits your vape device! While you technically can use any e-liquid in any vape pen (it won’t refuse to turn on or fall to pieces, for example!), there are e-liquids that will perform better in certain devices, and others that will give you a really unpleasant experience if used incorrectly. If you pick the wrong e-liquid, you won’t get the best flavour, cloud production, nicotine rush and overall experience, and it might reduce the performance of your vape pen or box mod over time, as it clogs up the different parts of the e-cigarette.
The Basics of Your E-Liquid
Almost all e-liquids are only made of four basic ingredients - Propylene Glycol (PG), Vegetable Glycerin (VG), nicotine and flavourings. The majority of these flavourings are things that you can also find in your baking cupboard, or your local supermarket too! When you compare this to tobacco cigarettes, which contain more than 7000 different chemical compounds every time you inhale, it’s clear which you would rather be using.
PG and VG are the main base ingredients of e-liquids, and are present in almost all of the vape juices you can buy today. The ratio of PG to VG in your e liquid base is the thing that makes the biggest difference to your overall vape experience.
Different Types of E-Liquids
High-PG E-Liquids
High PG e-liquids are most popular with new vapers and those who vape to quit smoking. High PG liquids are great for this kind of vaping as they offer you a strong throat hit, to effectively emulate the experience of smoking tobacco cigarettes. High PG liquids also offer great flavour (as PG is naturally flavourless and odourless), and effectively deliver a great nicotine rush, to help keep cravings at bay.
Most high-PG e-liquids also need to be vaped at a lower temperature than high-VG liquids, which is ideal for vape pen users. You can also get higher nicotine concentrations in high PG e-liquids, as the mouth-to-lung vape style usually needed for this kind of e-liquid is less harsh on the throat than direct-to-lung vaping styles, which are more common with high VG e-liquids.
High-VG E-Liquids
High-VG e-liquids, on the other hand, are more popular with direct to lung vapers and cloud chasers (people who look for high vapour production from their vape). This vape style and this type of e-liquid help to create those big, thick, fluffy clouds of vapour that we all recognise and associate with vaping.
High-VG e-liquids are generally slightly thicker than their PG counterparts, and so need to be vaped at a higher temperature to get good vapour production. However, vaping direct-to-lung, as most users do with high-VG liquids, can be very harsh on your throat if you’re using a liquid with a high nicotine concentration, which is why many users prefer low or nicotine free e-liquids when vaping direct to lung, or with high VG formulas. Some high-VG vapers also like to use shortfill e-liquids, as they can more accurately control the nicotine concentration of their e-liquid.
50/50 Vape Juices
50/50 e-liquids, for many users, are the best of both worlds, and come in formulas with perfectly balanced 50% PG and 50% VG bases. The result is an e-liquid which offers you not just great flavour, a strong nicotine rush and a more than adequate throat hit, but also produces more vapour than a PG liquid.
An added bonus of 50/50 e liquids is that they are super versatile, and can be used in pretty much any device or tank without too much trouble. This is one of the many reasons why we tend to recommend new and beginner vapers to start with a 50/50 e-liquid, before branching out into different vape styles.
Shortfill E-Liquids
Shortfill e-liquids are unique since they don’t contain any nicotine of their own. This makes them very versatile, as you add your own nicotine shot to the bottle after buying it. Shortfills first came about to allow for larger bottles of e-liquid to be sold after TPD (Tobacco Products Directive) rules came in, restricting e-liquids containing nicotine to containers of no more than 10ml.
Shortfill e-liquids can come in a wide variety of PG and VG compositions, and as you choose the nicotine strength that is right for you, these are some of the most versatile e-liquids around. You can still get shortfills in all kinds of fantastic flavours, such as the award-winning Dinner Lady range, which offers users several deep and layered dessert flavours from their vape, including:
·Berry Tart
·Blackberry Crumble
·Lemon Tart
·Strawberry Macaroon
·Sunset Mojito
·Watermelon Slices
Best E-Liquids for Vape Pens
Most new vapers will start their journey by picking up a smaller, more affordable device such as a “cig-a-like” device or a vape pen. These smaller, sleeker, slimmer and more portable devices are great for new vapers as they give you a simple vape experience that effectively emulates the experience of smoking a tobacco cigarette. However, with this smaller size comes a sacrifice in battery power. No matter which device you choose, there simply isn’t as much battery capacity as in larger vape mods and box mods. This does have an impact on the kind of e-liquids you choose, as you’re more likely to be vaping mouth-to-lung, with a 50/50 e-liquid or a high PG e-liquid.
The V2 Platinum range of e-liquids come in a balanced 50/50 PG/VG mix, which makes them ideal for use in vape pens. This blend is compatible with the vast majority of vape devices, and we’ve chosen this concentration to make your vaping experience balanced, comfortable and offer great flavour and cloud production all at once! The V2 Platinum range of e-liquids is popular with both beginner and more advanced vapers alike, due to its great range of flavours and strengths (the V2 platinum range comes in 14 flavours and four different nicotine strengths), as well as its consistency and flexibility when it comes to different vape styles.
Lots of vape pens and “cig-a-like” devices also use vape cartridges or “pod” systems as they are sometimes known. These cartridges simply slot, click or screw in and out when you are done with them. This is a great option for beginner vapers as it’s super easy to get started, which is why many cartridges come in a 50/50 PG/VG mix. The V2 Cigs Classic prefilled flavour cartridges are a great example of this, and are filled with the V2 Platinum e-liquids for ease of use when vaping, while still getting a great product and satisfying vape experience. Of course, when you use pods or cartridges, you are restricted by the brand you use, as these cartridges are rarely compatible with other brand’s vape pens.
High-PG e-liquids are also better for use with vape pens and smaller vape devices, as you’re more likely to be vaping mouth-to-lung with these devices. E-liquids in the XEO Aroma range come in a variety of PG/VG ratios, depending on the flavour you choose, with some vape liquids containing an 85% PG concentration. This is perfect for vapers who enjoy a strong throat-hit from their vape, and who prioritise flavour and nicotine delivery over creating large, fluffy vape clouds.
Best E-Liquids for Vape Mods
For more experienced vapers using bigger, more powerful and more versatile devices, there is a much bigger world of options available to you when it comes to different e-liquids.
Lots of more advanced vape devices have variable temperature settings, wattage modes, airflow settings and power levels, which allow you to adapt the way you vape on a regular basis. They allow you to vape both mouth-to-lung and direct-to-lung, for which you need different e-liquids to get the best possible performance from your vape.
High and 100% VG e-liquids can be used to great effect with vape mods, as opposed to smaller, less powerful vape pens. For example, the VSAVI range contains 100% natural and organic VG, with no PG in the composition at all. This allows for fantastic, rich and sweet flavours, a warm, comfortable and smooth vape experience and fantastic cloud production from your vape mod. Available in a sample 3-pack or in larger quantities, with 10 exciting flavours and five nicotine strengths to choose from, these e-liquids are a great choice for cloud chasing vapers!