A great many e liquids are available in short fill bottles, also known as shortfills and shake ‘n’ vapes, these larger bottles of e liquid can make your life a little bit easier and could save some of your hard-earned cash into the bargain. It’s not only better for the environment, but also cheaper to produce one large bottle than several small ones and this fact is generally reflected in the price!
Shortfills are larger bottles containing e liquids which are nicotine-free. But there’s space in the bottle to add a nicotine shot. Shortfills are mainly sold in two sizes: 50 ml e liquid, in a 60 ml bottle and 100 ml e liquid in a 120 ml bottle. Shortfills enable you to purchase a larger amount of your favourite flavours and can be a more convenient option than having to carry around several 10ml bottles.
The European Tobacco Directive (TBD) of 2016 stipulates that e liquids containing nicotine must be sold in bottles containing a maximum of 10ml. Initially e liquid producers introduced packs of three 10ml bottles to give vapers a more practical and cost-effective way to buy their juice. But shortfills have proved to be a better idea altogether! As the e liquid in shortfills is nicotine free, there is no restriction on the volume that can be sold in a single bottle. All you have to do is add a nicotine shot and you have the perfect vape juice for your needs and in a sensible quantity.
Also known as nic shots and nicotine boosters, nicotine shots are 10ml bottles of base liquid containing a specified amount of nicotine. You can add the shot to your shortfill bottle to create vape juice with your preferred nicotine strength. Simples! Or maybe not! To achieve the strength you are looking for, you need to do the maths!
The numbers involved can initially seem confusing but allow us to explain!
The strength of nicotine shots is expressed in mg per ml. This means that an 18mg nic shot features 18mg of nicotine per millilitre. A 10ml bottle therefore contains 180mg of nicotine.
Adding an 18mg nicotine shot to 50ml of nicotine-free e liquid in a 60ml bottle will result in juice with a strength of 3mg. In other words, you will be mixing 5 parts nicotine-free e liquid with 1 part nicotine shot. The finished juice will therefore be one sixth the strength of the nic shot – 18mg become 3mg.
If you want to achieve a strength of 3mg but have 100ml of e liquid in a 120ml bottle, you need to add two 18mg nic shots. Get it?
At Vapekit, we offer 9mg, 15mg and 18mg nicotine shots. So, let’s test your maths! Adding a 9mg shot to 50ml of flavoured e liquid will result in the finished product having what nicotine strength?
If you said 1.5ml you're right!
You should find instructions on the bottle, possibly under a peel and reveal sticker. But here’s our handy guide to mixing your juice:
It is worth noting that the shortfill versions of many e liquids are formulated to feature higher concentrations of flavourings than their 10ml counterparts. This is to allow for the fact that the flavour-free nicotine shots will dilute the strength of the juice. However, some shortfill e liquids are identical to the 10ml 0mg nicotine strength versions and so the nic shot will reduce the flavour intensity a little. The more shots you add to the juice, the greater the impact on flavour.
It can be difficult to see whether the flavour intensity of a shortfill e liquid has been adjusted. If the packaging does not feature the information you need, try reading a few reviews as these may provide the answers you are looking for.
