Hi everyone, I’ve been smoking for years, but I’d like to take it easier on myself, so I want to switch. I ordered a pod, as I had a larger e-cigarette before, but I found this one more convenient. Vaporesso Xros 3 mini with a 0.6 ohm pod, I also ordered another 0.8 and a 1 ohm pod to try out which one I really like. My question is, I’ve read that it’s not really worth filling pods only with nicotine salt. I’ve looked at the prices, it’s around 2000 forints for 10ml, which is practically 5 refills. I find this price quite steep, is it possible to mix nicotine salt at home too, and if so, how much more cost-effective is it? Thanks for all helpful answers, I’m a complete beginner.
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Hi!
Welcome. Let’s start from the beginning. Pods can’t only be filled with salt. Regular freebase nicotine can go into them just the same.
My answer to the second part of the question is that you can also buy nicotine salt boosters, just like regular nicotine. So you can mix up all sorts of nicotine yourself at home.
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Thank you for the greeting and the reply. Do freebase e-liquids also taste good in pods? From what I’ve seen, they say salt nicotine really delivers the flavors.
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To the best of my knowledge and based on my own experiences, I can say that there is no difference whatsoever in flavor delivery between the two types of nicotine.
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The significant difference is the throat hit.. Nicotine salt provides a smoother vape experience (which is exactly my problem with it). Also, if we look at it scientifically, nicotine salt’s absorption time is faster.. which is why people often say it’s easier to switch with it.
My opinion is that the whole nicotine salt story is a well-thought-out marketing gimmick..
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In my opinion, the nic salt 10ml pre-made liquids are the ones that most resemble the flavor profile of disposable vape devices. If you don’t adhere to that over-flavored, over-sweetened flavor profile that disposable devices provide, I think they are unnecessary. Since you’ve had a larger device before, I recommend you start with what worked well in that, and you’ll have some basis for comparison. I had a pod, but never a “nicsós” (assuming nicotine salt liquids), yet it gave good flavors.
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Hi +1,
In the past year (drawing on experiences from years ago as well), I went through the same things, with the difference that I had already switched from IQOS to pod.
I would argue against the idea that “it’s not worth it” - this period was particularly useful for me. Small-sized nicotine salts allowed me to relatively cost-effectively discover the flavor profiles of different manufacturers – or precisely what flavor profile a given name refers to. I think this is important because many flavors are quite intangible, and it often happens that a particular flavor is too artificial. For example, five different peach liquids can have completely different characters: one reminds you of a soda, another is more like an overly sweet, cloying air freshener.
I was also motivated by always being able to try something new. Although these small bottles are more expensive, it was worth it for me because this is how I found manufacturers whose flavor profiles generally appeal to me, and I also got a few explicit favorites.
As the price increased and the selection decreased, I switched to longfills. With these, I sometimes add extra flavors to the base if I don’t feel it’s distinctive enough. In the meantime, I realized that while a particular orange or more unusual flavor can be exciting, I am least disappointed by tropical fruit ones. These are what I like the most, while I tend to try raspberry, lemonade, or other more exotic flavors only rarely – and even then, from a manufacturer I already trust.
You can buy base liquid (I’ve only used 50/50 PG/VG for pods so far), you can buy nic salt boosters for it (you’ll find a calculator on the site to help calculate the desired strength), and these can be endlessly varied by using longfills (which contain only flavor in the bottle for its total volume), or by mixing your own with any flavor (which needs to be mixed and left to steep).
I think as long as you’re experimenting, even a small 2000 HUF bottle is fine, because a longfill costs 5-8e HUF (plus base ingredients) and can end up in the trash just as easily if you don’t like it, making it not cheaper in the end.
You don’t have to accept my experiences, but for me, this was an organic progression, and not least, I came down from 20mg nicotine to 3mg over this year by systematically switching first from 20/10, then from 10 to 6-7/5/3.
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Hi. I don’t have just one acquaintance/colleague/friend who switched from regular cigarettes to IQOS, then from IQOS to pod. They also started with nicotine salt, then they switched to longfill. 
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Can I ask what liquid you used with the pods, because honestly, I had a vape so long ago that I have no idea what I used then. Thank you for your help!
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Thank you very much for the detailed answer! My plan is something similar too: for now, I’ll order quite a few salts, and then I’ll experiment later.
Thank you again, you helped a lot!
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The plan is similar for me too, thank you for the answer!
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If you plan to switch to longfill, there are already more flavorful liquids available. For example, Juice Sauz Drifter Bar, or liquidhall’s own brand, Crescendo, or Bombo’s Bar Juice series. You can find the Drifter and Bombo in 10ml nicotine salts too. With those, you can try out the flavors. But Crescendo also comes in 30ml longfill (in a 30ml bottle, 7.5ml aroma).
Edit: I forgot to mention that on the juicyvapour website, Bombo Bar Juice is available in 15ml and 30ml longfill.
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Anyway, compared to cigarettes/IQOS, my experience was that messing around with small bottles still halved my costs, which is a step forward in itself.
Because although 10ml is indeed ~5 refills, if you have 10 different flavors, it doesn’t get consumed that easily or quickly. Obviously, if you’re vaping something heavily, it will be used up faster, and you need to ensure its replenishment, but for me, it still varies greatly how many ml of juice I use per day. Sometimes I’m vaping continuously, and then 2-3 refills can easily go in a day, other times barely half a refill. You can’t do this with analogs or IQOS where you only need two puffs now, and then a whole cartridge, where you can only think in whole cartridges. Of course, you can stop sooner, but it’s lost anyway, it’s like you’ve completely finished it. So, consider this as something that is currently at about the same price, but will last much longer than you’re used to.
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Yeah, and I wanted to give some guidance, I just forgot:
I fundamentally prefer aromatic, characterful e-liquids:
Small formats:
- Oxva Ox Passion: more characterful, more aromatic flavors (if you can find it anywhere, as it’s hard to get unfortunately) recommended, I have several favorites, unbeatable for now
- Bar Juice 5000: typically sweeter character, but these are also more aromatic, this is perhaps closest to disposables, they have great flavors
- Bombo: for me, several are too artificial, or just so overwhelmingly flavored that they are unbearable, but many people like them
- Hangsen Bar Fuel: less aromatic, but pleasant, balanced flavors, however, they are easier to mix up, less characterful, but good
- Elfliq/Maryliq: overall pleasant flavors, some are more characterful, there are many types. I have many favorites among them, but these also run out faster (likely due to ingredients or composition ratio)
- Aisu: sweeter e-liquids, but for example, their peach is unbeatable in my opinion.
Longfill:
- Steam Train: I haven’t been disappointed yet, aromatic, pleasant, natural-tasting flavors
- Twelve Monkeys: noticeably less aromatic compared to Steam Train, but enjoyable flavors with smaller fills
- Zap: same as the previous one
Those that didn’t work for me at all: Adam’s Vape, Dinner Lady, Sukka Salts, Fruizee
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Thank you! Where can I get the things you wrote?
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liquid-aroma.hu (vpn),
juicyvapour.com (vpn),
masquevapor.com
aromes-et-liquides.fr
and the posts under the order tag can also help.
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Hi! You explained it perfectly, I completely agree with you on everything 
Only the basic questions weren’t answered, in my opinion.
Let’s see what the basic questions were:
- Are nicotine salts mainly for Pods?
- Is nicotine salt needed to mix good flavors at home, or can the same flavors be achieved with regular freebase nicotine?
I’m interested in the topic too. Because I also tried mixing with nicotine salt.
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As far as I know, they differ in the manufacturing process. I think both are usable in a pod. I don’t recommend liquids because I prefer another category, and those aren’t really good for pod systems.
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This is correct.
- No, I think this is nonsense. Provided the base ratios match the given atomizer/personal preference. With other devices (that aren’t pods), this might be relevant, but I have no experience in that, and definitely not here.
- I don’t know this, because I haven’t mixed anything completely from scratch yet. But based on my previous experiences, perhaps not. It is certain, however, that before the era of salts, I couldn’t switch from cigarettes to e-cigs, it didn’t have the same strength, but I switched from IQOS to it without any problems, it was almost the same sensation. So, maybe this is because of the salts, but it could also be that the tech and flavors have improved this much, I have no idea.
I saw on some YouTuber’s channel that organic base liquid is better because it’s made with a different, special process, and some people are “allergic” to PG, so I also tried the organic approach. There I experienced some kind of difference that affects the perceived “density” of the vapor, as if it were a bit “thicker” or “more resistant” with organic. Not throat hit, but… different. Unfortunately, neither description feels truly accurate, hence the quotation marks, but I don’t have intolerances according to this, because I prefer the non-organic. But in terms of taste, there’s no difference there either, in my experience.
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I use A&L flavoring mixed 50-50 with booster The flavor is freely
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