Let’s go over some differences between “house juice” and premium eLiquid. House made vape juice is often mixed by employees within the walls of a vape shop. Flavoring extracts are typically ordered in bulk from both domestic and international suppliers. Extracts from China often tend to be cheaper... but because of unseen or unreported ingredients (along with poor quality control standards) they might not be something that you'd necessarily want to inhale into your body. Regardless, by using inexpensive bases such as VG (vegetable glycerin) and PG (propylene glycol), as well as buying cheap flavorings in bulk... many vape shops are often able to keep prices extremely low. Hey... nothing wrong with saving some money on occasion, we freely admit that! However as with many things in life, you often get what you pay for. So let's break down some of the reasons why you might encounter price variation between house and premium eLiquid lines.
Many things factor into the price points of juice. The expense of printing a label, artwork, and the choice of glass or plastic bottles are all key factors in the cost of producing a brand of eLiquid. Depending on the type of eJuice, sometimes very acidic or strong citrus flavors can break down some of the plastic, erode the bottle, or seriously taint the liquid. Generally glass bottles are better for longer term storage of your eliquid but can raise the price of the product. Darker glass like brown or blue can help to keep UV light out and often slows the process of nicotine breaking down over time... similar to UV blocking colors in beer bottle glass.
On top of not knowing where many house juices source their ingredients, they can also present other problems as well. One of biggest problems can be variable consistency of the final product. A customer goes and buys their favorite strawberry lemonade flavor that is house mixed. The first bottle tastes great to them... but then they return for a new bottle some time later. Often that very same eJuice now has a much harsher throat hit, tastes worse, and is generally much different than before. This could be due to different employees not following the same mixture technique as before... or possibly they might have used slightly different ingredients or flavor extracts from a different supplier. Taste is subjective, but I have heard this story time and time again from customers.
Headaches, harshness, or queasiness is another issue that you may experience with house vape juice. This is usually due to a cheap or low-quality nicotine base, or sketchy nicotine from overseas. Also this can be caused by excessive amounts of sweetener in juice. Too much sweetener in eLiquid can definitely give you headaches or general discomfort from vaping it. This is also subjective though different people have different reactions and preferences for how sweet their vapor is.
Finally... poor sanitation can be a problem with house juice. It’s a mixed bag. Some are made in an ISO-certified clean room environment with the employee wearing proper gloves and a face mask. Others are not. Some brands might be mixed in an old crusty jug with some needle nose bottles. There’s no way to be sure what kind of particles, dirt, skin, or other contaminants have made their way into that house liquid you’re buying. In other words... they are often inexpensive for a reason!
Now onto the benefits of using premium eJuice. Many of the premium brands we feature here create their own flavorings from scratch. This is quite the arduous process, but it’s worth it in the end. This often results in a more memorable, consistent product from batch to batch... often with very unique with powerful flavorful sensations that are one-of-a-kind when vaping many specific premium brands. Premium companies aren't typically just ordering “berry” from a run-of-the-mill online flavor extract retailer. Often they are more complex or a blend of several extracts.
Many of the vape juice brands we feature have quite the impressive production facility. Some of them even use touch-less bottling. This looks like an assembly line conveyor belt in a factory. Their eliquid is perfectly measured and mixed and doesn’t encounter people’s hands during the bottling and sealing process at all. They are also mixed in a certified clean room facility. This means no hidden contaminants or particles make their way into the room, or into the e-liquid you’re vaping. These premium vape juice manufacturers also use certified clean rooms. The mixers and chemists wear a face-mask and rubber gloves. Some brands even go so far as to post independent lab studies of quality right on their site.
A clean room for mixing eLiquids often looks more like a medical facility than a vapor shop... and only there you can be assured that your juice is being mixed in a sterile environment. Another advantage to vaping premium liquid over house liquid is the fact that the flavor and taste STAYS consistent. Same goes for the VG and PG ratios. If you like the vape juice the first time you try it... you’ll typically like it just the same every time you purchase a bottle in the future. These companies have their recipe on lock-down once they master it. The vg/pg ratio, viscosity, and clarity of the juice should not change from bottle to bottle. So... if you have a favorite liquid, it won’t suddenly taste different or “off” if you purchase it again in the future! House juice is a metaphorical dice roll when it comes to consistency. It might taste great one day, and later batches will taste awful. Premium juice on the other hand has a recipe measured down to the micro-grams so it always remains the same to your taste buds and vaping preference.
Just to be clear, this isn’t attacking or bad-mouthing house juice. I’m simply pointing out some of its characteristics and making comparisons. You might have a local shop with a house-made cinnamon horchata flavor blend that you really enjoy and can't find anywhere else... that’s fine! Many house brands follow great standards. Ultimately though as a consumer it’s up to you to do our own research, and to spend your money how you choose. However, I will say that once you vape the premium brands we carry, you’ll probably want to stick with them. Quality speaks for itself, and you’ll taste the difference in your puff. As consumers become more educated about the industry, we feel that naturally they will gravitate more towards premium companies and will seek our quality. In addition many house juice lines might cease to exist at all as the FDA assumes more and more control and influence over the industry and more strict regulations are put in place. As always... give us a call or shoot us an e-mail if you have any further questions.