Has anyone ever made a DIY juice that honestly compares to a "premium" store bought.

[kinny999]

I'm not meaning to belittle anyone that makes DIY juice because of my seeming inability to successfully mix up a 2 flavour recipe, but over the last few weeks of experimenting with limited and partial success; I've been wondering...

Using generally available base',concentrates and additives; With enough skill and knowledge could i realistically expect to recreate with a decent approximation one of the "premium" £17+ for 30ml juices?

Has the community as a whole had a lot of success in these endeavours in the time before i relatively recently became interested? Or, is it something that isn't really seen as important in favour of people making their own personal recipes over cloning already available and popular combinations?

Similarly, is there a range of flavours and perhaps additives that get used in these premium ranges that just aren't easily available to us hobbyist if at all?

I really enjoy being able to tinker with my e-cig and since getting into rebuilding about 12 months ago and becoming pretty proficient quite quickly I'm clearly still very much in the learning phase of DIY, I'm just wondering whether there is an end point where i'll be making juices that can compete with the super expensive sweetener drenched juices available or, as I'm hoping isn't the case; is it a trade off that the drastic saving in money will make it difficult to expect the same kind of flavour returns?

As ever, thanks for any replies/info/advice/mocking offered!

 

[ned]

I'd rather vape pure VG than pay seventeen quid for 30ml

 

[kinny999]

100% in agreement with you there.

 

[vapellie]

I'm not at the point of making my own juices yet, but I do have a friend who has managed to absolutely nail several premium juices using TPA and Capella flavours. He also concocted a few of his own that outshone a number of the so-called premium vendors I sampled at Vape jam today.
I'm not saying it's the norm, but it is possible.

 

[oldhippydude]

You have had "partial success" that is a good thing keep improving the best ones with each mix and you should get success.

I prefer what I mix to anything I have bought or tested but I would not claim they are better, they just suit my tastes.

I think most people make juices they are happy with eventually, some are lucky straight away but others take a lot longer.

Never personally paid £17+ for 30ml.

 

[Gravelthroat]

I have found since making my own juice I'm not a fan of premium shop bought juice any more! They seem to have a taste like a diet drink of some kind, like they are lacking something not sure if that's just me or not tho

 

[EmbraSewerRat]

It's taken me a fair few months to get a couple of DIY juices that I really enjoy using. They for certain are not complex recipes, 2-4 ingredients at best.
Last week I bought a couple of 'premium' juices from a recommended B&M and 1 out of 3 was not too bad but still way too full of sweetener. The other 2, well, my teeth were curling at how sugary and sickly they were. Quickly went back to my own made stuff and was far happier for it.

Patience and persistence is the key with DIY. I have 1 recipe that always works and 2 'bases' that go quite well ( Pear, coconut and a cream. Strawberry and Custard with one other flavour. A tobacco with 1 or 2 extras). A dash or 2 of 'Smooth' and at most a couple of drops of Ethyl Maltose go in each bottle as this made a bit of a difference between Meh and Oooh aye.
After reading thro' a few posts on here when I started DIY I decided to not bother trying clone recipes until I could consistently make a couple of decent ready to use mixes. Now, I'm not bothered about any clone recipes as, well, I've not bought expensive juice in ages and to be fair not really found one I like. Ok, provisio - Mrs Lords Ginger Nut, but that is my twice a year treat...

I know a couple of chaps who have had great success with clone recipes but they have more patience and money to experiment with.
Keep at it, you'll eventually come up with something that'll make you if not exactly happy, but glad you bothered.

 

[johnr7]

As mentioned above some strike it lucky and others don't.
I have made at least 10 CRACKING juices - some only one shot wonders of a 'base'!
But tastes change and a favorite from 12 months ago may not even be liked anymore (I am looking at you Cupcake World Pear Drops and TFA Red Hot Cinnamon - toot of the gods for months, now give me the boak).

However I have binned more than 10 and had hundreds of meeeh.

Stick with it and follow what flavours you think you may like, not mad slap dash recipes that 'might' work.

 

[fyslexic ducker]

all of the above,sweetner can make a big difference to a mix just a few drops can improve some flavour profiles but as @EmbraSewerRat says you really dont need much,that said i rarely use them and am pretty happy with my diy overall

 

[EthelKing]

I've been mixing my own for a few years and have three mixes which I use all the time - a dessert, a fruit and a menthol. I would say that the first two are pretty bang on and the third is a menthol!

As others have said, I went off a few premium juices because of the artificial sweetener aftertaste. I cannot stand sweetener of any type - so DIY is the way forward for me.

Mixing is a weird thing. I've learned that making small adjustments to recipes can make a huge difference. Also, not chucking out mixes that are "OK" is a good idea - write the date you mixed them on the bottle and put them out of the way. When you try them in a few weeks time, they often taste better (or conform it was a shite mix!).