Love the thought of mixing up your favourite flavour profile and being able to adjust the nicotine content? Then wrapping your head around short fills and nic shots could give you just the freedom you’re looking for.
Mixing your own short fill and nic shot is easy once you know how and it could save you time and money, as well as giving you a way to customise your juice.
What is a short fill?
Unlike some other vaping terminology, a short fill is pretty straightforward. It’s the name given to bottles of nicotine-free e-liquid that haven’t been filled all the way up, leaving you a little space to add your own shot of nicotine.
E-liquids are made with vegetable glycerine (VG), propylene glycol (PG) and flavour concentrates. Many come with nicotine already combined but short fills come without nicotine so you can add it yourself. Check out our guide to what’s in a e-liquid for more insights.
Most short fills have a 70/30 VG/PG ratio for sub-ohm vaping. They are so popular because e-liquids with nicotine can only be sold in bottle of 10ml or less and come with a strength of up to 20 mg/ml. Short fills offer a way to mix your own to get bigger bottles at lower strengths. We sell short fills in two sizes, 50ml bottles with space for one nic shot or nic salt, or 100ml bottles with space for up to two.
What is a nic shot?
A nic shot, also sometimes called a nicotine booster, is a bottle of nicotine that’s made to be mixed with a short fill. All nic shots are a VG/PG diluent mix (which come in 70/30 VG/PG, 100% VG and 100% PG ratios) and an amount of nicotine, which might come in the form of nic salts or as freebase nicotine. Nic shots are not intended to be vaped without being added to juice. They are a concentrated shot of nicotine, usually in an 18 mg/ml strength, that comes in a 10ml size bottle and are flavourless. They do sometimes have effects that enhance the vaping experience, however, like an ice cooling or fizz effect.
You should only ever add nic shots to e-liquids that have 0mg nicotine. If you’re not sure what you should be using, our article on which nic shot to use could be handy, or you can find out more on how to use nic shots.
What is a nic salt?
You can also swap out nic shots for nic salts, if you’re looking for a stronger flavour profile overall. Nic salts are very popular with people who want to enjoy a higher nicotine content without any harshness. Like nic shots, nic salts come in 10ml bottles and contain different strengths of nicotine, usually between 3 and 20 mg/ml. However, the big differences are the fact that they contain flavouring already and can be vaped alone.
Nic salts have lower pH compared to freebase nicotine and the lower alkalinity levels mean you can vape higher nicotine strength e-liquids without worrying about harshness. Nic salts are also absorbed faster than other nicotine in e-liquids, which means you feel the effects more quickly and in a way that’s more similar to a traditional cigarette.
There’s also the fact that adding a flavoured nic salt to a short fill will give you a stronger flavour overall that you’d get with a flavourless nic shot. It also gives you a chance to combine different flavours and create nice mixes.
Why mix your own short fill and nic shot?
There are loads of reasons for wanting to mix your own short fills and nic shots, one of the biggest being the ability to mix bigger bottles of e-liquids containing nicotine, reducing costs. Mixing your own blends also lets you enjoy a particular flavour with a certain amount of nicotine. We all have our own personal tastes and we all like to get a different level of kick from our vapes, and mixing is the perfect way to make sure we get it exactly the way we like it.
Here are some other great reasons for making your own mix.
- Mixing your own short fills is also a handy way to increase the size of your fills. This can help save you a bit of cash, because its generally cheaper to buy bigger bottles, and can make things more convenient too.
- In 2016, TPD regulations came into play in the EU and TRPR regulations were introduced in the UK in 2017. They stated that e-liquids containing nicotine could only be sold in 10ml bottles, so if you want a bigger option to keep in your pocket or bag, mixing it yourself is the perfect solution.
How to mix short fills and nic shots
Step 1 - Choose your desired flavour and strength
Mixing up short fills and nic shots is nice and easy. Short fills come with a 10ml space in 50ml bottles and 20ml space in 100ml bottles and nic shot and nic salts are sold in 10ml sizes, so adding the two together couldn’t be easier. All you have to do is choose your short fill flavour and decide what strength of nicotine you’d like.
Step 2 – Combine your nic shot and short fill
Your short fill should have a child proof cap, but the dripper on the top should pop out and be easy to remove. Alternatively, you may have to remove the whole cap. Once the pipette or cap is off, you can then squeeze all the-liquid from your nic shot into the e-liquid bottle of your chosen short fill.
Step 3 – Fill your tank and enjoy!
Be sure to give your hands a good wash and that the cap has been firmly replaced. Then you’re ready to give your short fill a really good shake. This should be nice and vigorous so you can enjoy a smoother vaping experience and not come across any harsh flavours. Once the two are totally mixed up and you’ve given the bubbles enough time to settle, you’re ready to fill your tank and enjoy your own mix.
Important things to think about when mixing short fills
- Only ever use ingredients that are intended for making e-liquids, for example, flavour concentrates need to be food grade and designed specifically for making e-liquids. Don’t ever add essential oils or experiment with other oils, as they may not be safe.
- Make sure you’re buying your e-liquids from reputable retailers. You want to be able to trust that the components you’re buying have been through the proper safety checks and are what they say they are.
- You also need to think about which ratio of VG/PG works best for your vape kit, because this may vary depending on how you’re set up. Our guide to choosing the right e-liquid could help.
Working out short fill strengths
To adjust your flavour and nicotine profiles to hit the levels you’re looking for, you need to be thinking about the volumes of liquids you’re mixing. This is easy when you’re going for a standard mix, for example, 50ml of e-liquid and 10ml of nic shot but can take a little bit of calculating when you’re looking for something a little more unique or customised.
Use a vape juice calculator to help you make sure you are using the right amount of VG, PG, flavouring, and nicotine or get some guidance around which strength of e-liquid you should use.
Here’s a rough guide to helping you make sure you’re getting the mix right for your desired level of nicotine.
Adding nic shots for 3mg e-liquids:
- 50
- 100
If you’re still wondering how much nicotine is right for your vape, you might want to think about it in terms of how many cigarettes it’s equivalent too. This is useful if you used to be a smoker and have switched to vaping. Get to grips with the maths with our guide to nicotine equivalences.
Changing VG/PG ratios
You can also pick different VG/PG ratios to change the diluent ratio (and hence liquid thickness) of your juice. Higher VG to PG ratios are thicker e-liquids and generally used for intermediate or advanced kits and sub-ohm vaping, whereas lower VG to PG ratios are most commonly used for starter and pod kits.
For example:
High VG short fills
- 50ml 70/30 VG/PG short fill + 1 x 10ml 100% VG nic shot = 60ml of 75/25 VG/PG
- 100ml 70/30 VG/PG short fill + 2 x 10ml 100% VG nic shots = 120ml of 75/25 VG/PG
- 50ml 70/30 VG/PG short fill + 1 x 10ml 70/30 VG/PG nic shot = 60ml of 70/30 VG/PG
- 100ml 70/30 VG/PG short fill + 2 x 10ml 70/30 VG/PG nic shots = 120ml of 70/30 VG/PG
- 50ml 70/30 VG/PG short fill + 1 x 10ml 100% PG nic shot = 60ml of 58/42 VG/PG
- 100ml 70/30 VG/PG short fill + 2 x 10ml 100% PG nic shots = 120ml of 58/42 VG/PG
50/50 VG/PG short fills
- 50ml 50/50 VG/PG short fill + 1 x 10ml 100% VG nic shot = 60ml of 58/42 VG/PG
- 100ml 50/50 VG/PG short fill + 2 x 10ml 100% VG nic shots = 120ml of 58/42 VG/PG
- 50ml 50/50 VG/PG short fill + 1 x 10ml 70/30 VG/PG nic shot = 60ml of 53/47 VG/PG
- 100ml 50/50 VG/PG short fill + 2 x 10ml 70/30 VG/PG nic shots = 120ml of 53/47 VG/PG
- 50ml 50/50 VG/PG short fill + 1 x 10ml 100% PG nic shot = 60ml of 42/58 VG/PG
- 100ml 50/50 VG/PG short fill + 2 x 10ml 100% PG nic shots = 120ml of 42/58 VG/PG
Stronger flavours for your short fills
Because a nic shot is unflavoured, it can mildly dilute the overall flavour of your e-liquid. If you like a strong flavour and want to make sure that your vape reflects that, you can always use nic salts instead of shots. This lets you add in nicotine while enjoying a strong flavour profile. You can choose nic salts with similar flavours or ones that will completement the flavour of your e-liquid.
If you’re looking for an easier solution, a great place to start is with the Double Brew Bar Series Range, which has some great flavours available in 100ml short fills with a 50/50 formula and room in the bottle for the addition of two 10ml nicotine shots (sold separately) if needed. Nostalgia by Ohm Brew is another favourite for short fills, thanks to the fact it’s got double as much flavour concentrate as a standard e-liquid.
Fun flavours for your short fills
If you want to enjoy an amazing flavour using your short fills and are happy with a lower nicotine level, then you’ll be glad to know that the possibilities are endless. You can create some amazing flavour combinations using short fill e-liquids, simply by adding a 10ml 18 mg/ml e-liquid instead of a standard nic shot.
Here are just a few of our favourites:
Strawberry & vanilla ice cream
If you’re looking for a summery flavour that makes you think of sunny days at the beach, then this is the ideal combination.
Try mixing a bottle of Double Brew Bar Strawberry Kiwi which offers an incredibly authentic strawberry flavour that just screams summer vibes, with two bottles of Ohm Brew’s vanilla bean ice cream for a classic yet delightful flavour.
Pear, peach & elderflower
For a lovely and delicate vape, have a go at combining a Wild Roots pressed pear 100ml short fill with two 10ml bottles of 18 mg/ml Ohm Brew 50/50 juicy peach.
The subtle and fresh flavouring of pressed and ripe pears is beautifully balanced by crisp pink lady apples with a zingy hint of elderflower. Juicy peach takes this to the next level by adding the delicious nectar of fresh peaches.
Watermelon, passion fruit & mango mojito
This is a wonderfully fruity mix that will make you feel as though you’ve walked into paradise.
Bombo’s Watermelon Mojito is already positively bursting with flavour, but mixing in two 10ml bottles of Ohm Brew’s passion fruit and mango lets you add an exotic fruit spin and cram so many complimentary flavours into each and every puff.
You can find lots of more suggestions in our guide to mixing your own e-liquid fruit cocktails and our suggestions for great e-liquid flavours for summer, or go and have some fun of your own.
How to mix vape juice safely
Mixing your own flavour profiles or levels of nicotine is a great way to customise your experience, but there are a few things you should keep in mind whenever you’re mixing vape juice. Follow the steps below for a safe and fun mixing experience.
- Step 1: Always wash your hands after handling any e-liquids that have a nicotine content
- Step 2: Store your e-liquids in a cool, dry place
- Step 3: Avoid adding things like essential oils to your e-liquids
- Step 4: Wear gloves If you’re mixing a lot of vape juice
- Step 5: Always use diluted nicotine and never try to mix pure nicotine with your e-liquids
- Step 6: Use the advice above to make sure you’re calculating the amount of nicotine in your mix
- Step 7: Keep all of your supplies and e-liquids stored safety away from kids and pets
- Step 8: Tighten the childproof caps on your bottles fully
What are TPD and TRPR regulations?
When you see vape retailers or users talking about TPD or TRPR regulations, they’re referring to the EU Tobacco Products Directive or the UK’s Tobacco and Related Products Regulations. TRPR are a set of controls from the UK government that have laid out minimum standards for the safety and quality of all e-cigarettes and refill containers.
Get ready to mix your own short fills and flavours
Now you’ve got all the information you need to get started mixing up your own short fills with nic shots or nic salts – enjoy finding your own perfect combos.
