Steady As That Nic Salt Goes
Once upon a time, we all treasured our sub-ohm setups that were fully customized to meet our vaping needs. We paid careful attention to things like coil resistance levels, nicotine strengths, wattage levels and, of course, VG/PG ratios. Now, however, things have changed, for many vapers at least.
As salt nicotine e-liquid becomes more popular, we’re seeing loads of vapers trading in their sub-ohm box mod setups for portable pod systems that are extremely simple, technologically speaking. In fact, it seems like everything about the salt nic experience is far simpler than what we’re used to.
One of the things that many salt nic vapers notice right away is that they no longer seem to be able to choose from a wide selection of VG/PG ratios. As any experienced vaper knows, that ratio determined many things about the vaping experience. The right ratio delivered the perfect throat hit, the most satisfying amount of vapor and the most sublime taste.
Now, with salt-based e-liquids, vapers rarely find vape juices that don’t have a 50/50 ratio. And as you’ll discover, there are very good reasons why 50/50 seems to be the standard ratio when vaping this type of nicotine.
How is Salt Nic Different from Freebase Nic?
To understand why the ratio of salt nic e-liquid is almost always 50/50, it’s important to grasp the key differences between the two types of nicotine that are available in the vaping world. Freebase nicotine is extremely unstable, chemically speaking. When exposed to high heat, it can become uncomfortably harsh as it goes down the throat.
In order to accommodate freebase nicotine, standard vaping systems have to offer a wide range of settings so that the user can avoid that harshness. It also means that e-juice has to come in a wide range of ratios in order to be compatible with the settings of a particular setup.
Now, salt-based nicotine, on the other hand, isn’t unstable. It’s extracted from the tobacco plant and combined with benzoic acid so that it can provide the satisfaction that users crave at low temperatures. It provides a stronger throat hit and a more potent dose of nicotine, making it very popular among people who used to smoke cigarettes.
Why Do I Always See a 50/50 VG/PG Ratio on Nic Salt Vape Juice Bottles?
Below, you’ll find out that there are plenty of reasons why this is the case.
It Carries Salt-Based Nicotine Most Efficiently
It’s widely believed that salt-based nicotine provides the most satisfaction when combined with a base of 50 percent vegetable glycerin (VG) and 50 percent propylene glycol (PG). You see, these two base ingredients have different consistencies. Propylene glycol is a thinner, runnier ingredient while vegetable glycerin is known for being thick and viscous.
These consistencies affect the way in which your e-liquid is turned into vapor. With high VG juices, the liquid requires more heat to become vapor. That’s why their associated with high-wattage devices.
Pod mods aren’t high-wattage devices. The consistency of a 50/50 VG/PG salt-based e-juice seems to be perfect for the range of wattage levels that pod mods have to offer.
Pod Mods Don’t Offer Such a Wide Range of Settings
It’s also important to remember that standard freebase juices come in such a wide range of ratios because box mods allow you to choose between a wide variety of settings. Many box mods let you select wattage levels between 1 and 200. Therefore, the e-liquids that are compatible with these devices must be available in a wide range of ratios so that the user can select a ratio that’s best suited for their particular output configuration and coil resistance level.
Pod mods, on the other hand, don’t really allow the user to customize their experience. That’s because the salt-based nicotine satisfies perfectly with the fixed settings of the device. Therefore, there’s no need to play around with different settings, meaning that the user doesn’t have to find a ratio that’s compatible with the way they’ve customized their device.
Great for an MTL Experience that’s Similar to Smoking
A balanced ratio seems to provide a perfect mouth-to-lung experience. This vape style is known for being very similar to smoking. It provides a nice hit to the throat and delivers a similar amount of vapor.
50/50 is the Way to Go when it Comes to Salt-Based Vaping
As you can see, a balanced ratio really is ideal for an e-liquid that contains nicotine salts. It’s clear that this ratio works as countless vapers are switching over to pod systems without any regrets.