some of the most asked questions
2018 EDIT:
this has to go at the top of this list now as its one of the most asked questions in the last year.
Q - where can i buy 72% Nicotine for DIY
A - as of the 20th May 2017 it is now illegal to buy 7.2% nicotine in the UK under TPD law unless you have a trade account. what was readilly available is now classed as not for human consumption.
this question gets asked weekly and as this is a open public forum anyone can see the questions asked on google and the more its asked the more it gets bumped up and risks trading standards closing down said companies.
so in simple terms PLEASE DONT ASK.
GOV.UK Clearing up some myths around e cigarettes https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2018/02/20/clearing-up-some-myths-around-e-cigarettes/
What is steeping:
in simple terms letting a juice mature as it has just been mixed
cheaper suppliers mix small batches to order so it is a fresh mix and it needs time for the liquids to mature.
fruits need the least time so something like a week.
custards and cream based juices need the longest and average 2-4 weeks.
for instance a 3mg juice will be totally clear when received. after a couple of weeks it will have turned slightly brown. the higher the nicotine the darker it will get. after 6 months even 3mg will turn very dark and this is nothing to worry about.
If a Juice is pre steeped it will be mentioned on that suppliers website. if this is the case you are good to go as soon as you receive it.
how do i steep:
the simplest way is to just put in a cupboard in the dark. every few days give them a shake or even remove lid and gently squeeze the air out and then put back in dark.
there are various other ways to help the steeping process. some use an ultrasonic cleaner to give them a good shake up through vibration but i dont bother with this.
Abbreviations:
POTV Abbreviation Dictionary -
http://wiki.planetofthevapes.co.uk/wiki/Dictionary
B&M = Bricks and Mortar high street store or Vape Shop (not the cheap superstore up north).
Online Juice & Hardware vape shops: recommended hardware suppliers can be found on post 5
POTV Vendors & Recommended E Liquid Suppliers
M2L / MTL / mouth to lung = vape style just like smoking. inhaling into mouth and then taking down to lungs just like a cigarette
this style uses mouth to lung tanks with low wattage (average 12-14watts) and also can use much higher nicotine upto 20mg but the average starts on 18mg nicotine strength. average coils used are 1.5, 1.6, 1.8. juice ratio 50vg/50pg or 70/30
D2L / DTL / direct to lung = this is sub ohming. style like taking a big breath in with your mouth slightly open. this bypasses the mouth and goes direct to your lungs.
this style can use much higher wattage to make bigger clouds but much lower nicotine average 3mg or 6mg. coils used 0.5, 0.25 or similar. juice ratio 70/30, 80/20
high VG or 100% Vg are best used in drippers only as shop made tank coils just cant handle the thick VG.
Shinyitis = a shopoholic who has to buy the latest and greatest shiny bit of kit. in other words almost all of us.
Dripper = these sorts of tanks you have to build the coils yourself. these are best known as:
(RDA rebuildable dripping atomizer)
(RBA rebuildable atomizer)
(RTA rebuildable tank atomizers)
more info
http://vaping360.com/rebuildable-tanks-explained-rbas-vs-rdas-vs-rtas-vs-rdtas/
VG & PG = the 2 main ingredients to make e liquid
read here.
ejuice http://vaping360.com/pg-vs-vg-what-is-the-difference-and-what-should-i-use/
Fixed batter Mod = a mod with a fixed batter inside which cannot be replaced and charged using a usb cable which is usually included with each mod.
18650 batteries = replaceable batteries for box mods. quite a lot of these mods cannot charge the batteries internaly so you will also need an external battery charger to charge these batteries. always buy from reputable dealers as these are high power batteries and saving a few quid buying cheap is not always the safest idea.
Battery Suppliers
The forum has two main battery suppliers who are both members and these are the only places you need for batteries and chargers.
Fogstar
https://www.fogstar.co.uk/ (voted vendor of the year 2017)
18650uk
https://18650.uk/
WARNING! DO NOT use a company called Next Day Batteries as they have been selling fake unfused chargers in the uk which are a disaster waiting to happen. over a 1000 post thread with all the proof can be found on here.
Regulated Mods these mods have inbuilt protection and will cut out to protect the user if you use the wrong settings.
MECHS or mechanical mods are for professional users only. these mods have no protection and a decent knoledge of ohms law is seriously needed before you touch these. otherwise there is a risk of it going bang.
Power Mode = Wattage Mode
wattage mode can use Kanthal coils or SS stainless steel coils. best for beginners.
TC mode = Temperature Control (for more advanced users)
a mod with this option must use Ni200 (nickel) , Ti (titanium) , SS stainless steel coils only.
if in doubt and not sure ask on the forum first no matter how silly you may think your question is, its usually not.
