Many e-liquids are now sold in larger, nicotine free bottles designed for DIY e-liquid mixing. If you are new to using shortfills, working out the best nicotine shot to use could feel a little daunting. In this post we will be explaining which nic shot you should use to best suit your shortfill, device and personal preferences.
What are nic shots?
Nicotine shots, commonly referred to as nic shots, are a way of easily adding a nicotine content to short fill e-liquids. They are available in a variety of different VG/PG ratios, to help you find the one to best suit your chosen e-liquid, and there are both nic salt and freebase nicotine options.
Nic shots come in a 10 ml bottle and usually have an 18 mg/ml nicotine strength, which is then diluted when added to a short fill e-liquid. They commonly have an unflavoured base of VG/PG so as not to change the flavour of the e-liquid, however, you can also opt for a flavoured nicotine shot which adds a cool or fizzy flavour finish to the e-liquid.
What are short fills?
Since the introduction of the TPD regulations for vape products were introduced in May 2016, it is no longer legal for stores to sell e-liquid which contains nicotine in bottles larger than 10ml.
Fortunately, we can still buy and sell larger bottles of e-liquid at 0mg (containing no nicotine) to which we can add 10ml bottles of unflavoured nicotine mixed with VG/PG.
Shortfills are so called because they are filled short of the top of the bottle to accommodate the addition of a nicotine shot. For example, a 50ml shortfill will contain 50ml of 0mg e-liquid in a 60ml bottle, leaving room for one 10ml nic shot. Once mixed this would produce 60ml of 3mg/ml e-liquid.
To read more about how nic shots and shortfills work, take a look at our blog post ‘How to Use Nic Shots’.
Nic salt nic shots
Nic salt nic shots are much the same as regular nic shots, however they contain a different form of nicotine. The regular freebase nicotine found in most e-liquids can, to some, be quite harsh on the throat. Nic salts more closely resemble the form in which nicotine is naturally found in the tobacco leaf, they also feel much smoother on the inhale and absorb into the bloodstream faster than freebase, satisfying nicotine cravings quickly and efficiently.
These nic shots are ideal if you would like a particularly smooth vape or are looking for a ‘quick hit’. The Ohm Brew nic salt nic shot is a high VG nic salt nic shot, perfect for adding to any shortfill. Learn more about nic salts in our blog post ‘What Are Nic Salts?’.
Standard nic shots
The most commonly available nic shots are a freebase option with a high VG formula, usually a 70/30 ratio, such as the Ohm Brew booster nicotine shot.
These are well suited to any high VG e-liquid, and offer the throat hit that some vaper's are looking for in their e-liquid, as opposed to the smooth inhale of a nic salt.
Most shortfills available have a high VG formula, for use with powerful devices with sub-ohm coils which can easily absorb the thicker consistency e-liquid.
100% VG nic shots
In addition to high VG nic shots, you can also get 100% VG nic shots such as the Ohm Brew high VG nic shot. These contain no PG and are perfect for mixing with very high VG shortfills without having an effect on the overall consistency of the e-liquid.
If you are unsure which ratio of e-liquid to use, have a read of our blog post ‘How to Find the Right Ratio E-Liquid for Your Device’.
100% PG nic shots
100% PG nic shots like the Ohm Brew high PG nic shot contain nicotine mixed with an unflavoured base mix of just PG. These nic shots are ideal for adding to shortfills with a 50/50 or high PG ratio e-liquid in order to maintain the thinner consistency. They can also be used to thin down the consistency of a high VG e-liquid if you are finding it is slightly thicker than desired.
Although 50/50 shortfills are less common than their high VG counterparts, they are available and are a great option if you don't want to carry lots of smaller bottles. However, it is important to remember that shortfills are designed to be mixed with enough nic shots to produce a 3mg e-liquid, and adding more nicotine shots than intended will dilute the flavour. Therefore, shortfills are best for those on a low nicotine strength.
50/50 e-liquids are perfect for use with starter kits, pod systems and devices with a high resistance coil.
For more information on the difference between VG and PG, read our handy post ‘What’s Inside My E-Liquid?’.
Flavoured nic shots
Flavoured nic shots work in the same way that regular nic shots do, except that rather than being unflavoured, they offer a small amount of flavour such as a cool menthol or fizzy finish.
These can be added to any e-liquid to enhance the flavour, however they are best used in fruit flavours or to add an extra coolness to already lightly mentholated e-liquids. Most people aren’t partial to menthol or fizzy custard, but each to their own!
We offer the Ohm Brew cool nic shots and Nic' n Mix FIZZ nic shots, which impart a small amount of flavour without taking away from the actual flavour of the e-liquid, helping you customise them to suit your tastes.
DIY 50/50 short fills
Short fills are widely available with a high VG e-liquid formula, but unfortunately 50/50 short fills are a bit less common.
Fortunately, there is a handy hack that lets you turn any 50 ml 70/30 short fill into a 50/50 6 mg/ml e-liquid that can be used in starter kits and pod systems.
Simply add two high PG nic shots to any 70/30 short fill and give it a good shake. This will create a 50/50 6 mg/ml overall e-liquid. 50 ml short fills usually leave room for the addition of one nicotine shot, so you may need to decant some of the e-liquid to allow room for the second nic shot. However, ranges like Legends leave room for two nicotine shots so it is easy to create a 6 mg/ml nicotine strength and a 50/50 formula if needed.
If you would like more information about shortfills and nic shots, or are still unsure of which nic shot to use, why not pop in to your local Evapo store and speak to a member of our expert team, or head over to our website to browse the full range of shortfills and nic shots we have available.
