Have you ever found the perfect source of cheap vape juice and placed a big order, only to find that what you’ve purchased is entirely wrong for your needs? It isn’t easy to buy e-liquid if you’re new to vaping because it isn’t just a matter of picking a flavor you’ll like – you also have to choose the right nicotine strength for your vaping device and for your personal needs. On top of that, the fact that there are two types of e-liquid on the market today makes your decision even more difficult.
So, what’s the difference between nicotine salt and freebase vape juice? In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of buying bottled e-liquid for the first time and ensure that the purchase goes perfectly.
What Is Freebase Vape Juice?
Until recently, freebase vape juice was the only type of e-liquid on the market – and it’s still the majority of what’s available. A typical bottle of e-liquid with freebase nicotine includes four ingredients: propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine, and food-grade flavors. Nicotine salt vape juice is virtually the same apart from one additional ingredient, which we’ll discuss shortly.
The reason why freebase nicotine e-liquid is so common is that most of the pharmaceutical-grade nicotine on the market is freebase nicotine. It’s the type of nicotine that you’ll find in virtually all nicotine replacement products, such as gums and lozenges, so it was natural that the first e-liquid makers would use freebase nicotine as well.
What Are the Benefits of Freebase Vape Juice?
Since the advent of nicotine salt vape juice – which is typically available in higher nicotine strengths – freebase vape juice has taken over the low-nicotine segment of the market and is, therefore, best suited for larger and more powerful vaping devices. In a low-nicotine setting, the benefit of freebase vape juice is that it’s capable of delivering big vapor clouds and bold flavors along with maximum smoothness.
When you use freebase vape juice, you’ll be able to taste every detail of your e-liquid’s flavor. Because freebase e-liquids are lower in nicotine, though, you’ll experience almost no throat hit. If you’ve ever found that vaping sometimes makes you cough, freebase vape juice is probably a good choice for you because it’s so smooth. Despite the low nicotine strength, though, freebase e-liquid is still completely satisfying because it works best with vaping devices that produce large clouds.
What Types of Vapes Use Freebase Vape Juice?
The best vaping devices for freebase vape juice are ones designed for the direct-to-lung vaping style. The devices that fall into this category are usually vape mods, pod mods, and larger vape pens. You can tell that a device is designed for direct-to-lung inhaling because it’ll have a wide mouthpiece and large airflow vents. Direct-to-lung vaping devices can also typically operate at very high wattage levels. When you use this type of device, you’ll find that it has very loose airflow characteristics and that it’s easy to draw air through it.
What Nicotine Strength Should I Choose?
The typical nicotine levels for freebase e-liquid are 3 mg/ml and 6 mg/ml. Because most of today’s direct-to-lung vaping devices have extremely impressive vapor production, though, it’s usually best to start with the lower of the two strengths because most people find the 3 mg/ml strength more than sufficient. If you try the lower strength and aren’t satisfied, you can always step up to the 6 mg/ml strength.
What Is Nicotine Salt Vape Juice?
Nicotine salt differs from freebase vape juice in that it contains an added acid that triggers a molecular conversion, converting the nicotine from a free base to a salt. Otherwise, it’s essentially the same as freebase e-liquid – but nicotine salt has a unique benefit for some vapers. It’s an especially valuable benefit for those who are new to vaping.
What Are the Benefits of Nicotine Salt Vape Juice?
The benefit of nicotine salt vape juice is that the acid added to the mixture lowers the pH of the nicotine. Freebase nicotine is alkaline. You don’t notice the alkalinity when the e-liquid has a low nicotine strength – but at higher nicotine strengths, freebase nicotine causes so much throat irritation that it becomes unpleasant to use. The fact that nicotine salt vape juice has a more neutral pH makes it much smoother at high strengths, so it provides a great experience in smaller vaping devices.
When used with the right type of vaping device, nicotine salt vape juice provides a satisfying and assertive throat hit – very much like a tobacco cigarette – without causing irritation.
What Types of Vapes Use Nicotine Salt Vape Juice?
The best vaping devices for nicotine salt vape juice are ones designed for the mouth-to-lung vaping style. The devices that fall into this category are small devices such as pod systems, disposable vapes, and smaller vape pens.
You can tell that a device is designed for mouth-to-lung inhaling because it’ll have a small mouthpiece – around the same size as a cigarette filter – and small airflow vents. Mouth-to-lung vaping devices are typically designed to operate at low wattage levels. When you use this type of device, you’ll find that it has very tight airflow characteristics like a tobacco cigarette.
What Nicotine Strength Should I Choose?
Nicotine salt vape juice usually comes in nicotine strengths of about 25 mg/ml and 50 mg/ml in the United States. In places that limit the nicotine strength of e-liquid, nicotine salt vape juice is usually available in strengths of 10 mg/ml and 20 mg/ml. In either case, it’s usually best to start with the highest strength available in your area because your goal is to get as close as possible to the satisfaction level of smoking a cigarette.
If the first nicotine strength that you choose is too high, you can drop to the next lower strength. If the first strength that you buy is too low, though, you might feel so unsatisfied that you’ll give up on vaping entirely without really giving it a chance.
