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How To Use Shortfill E-Liquids With Nicotine Shots

West Coast Vape Supply

Vapers outside of the United Kingdom may not have heard of shortfills before, but for UK vapers who want a higher concentration of nicotine in their e-liquid or want a larger bottle of nicotine e-liquid than what the government’s TPD regulations allow retailers to sell, shortfill e-liquid is perhaps the most obvious solution.

What Is Shortfill Vape Juice

When vapers hear of shortfills, some immediately wonder what it is that’s being referenced. The reason for this is in part due to the fact that shortfills are not popular everywhere. Their popularity is derived in part from the fact that they make it easy for UK vapers to adjust the nicotine concentration of their e-liquid. But that’s not the only reason they exist, as another reason why they’re popular is their ability to work around TPD regulations that limit the size of e-liquid bottles that contain nicotine.

That covers why they exist, but what exactly are they?

A shortfill is a bottle of e-liquid that’s not completely filled. There’s a little room left at the top of the bottle, which is where they get their name. Because they’re are filled short, users can easily add nicotine to them, give them a quick shake to mix the ingredients, and with little effort, they have a bottle of e-liquid with the exact nicotine concentration they desire.

Because shortfills are designed to have their nicotine added later, they’re always nicotine-free. This means that they contain no nicotine in them and are instead intended to be infused with nicotine later by their user.

A typical 50ml bottle of shortfill will contain 50ml of e-liquid in a 60ml bottle, leaving 10ml of empty space in the bottle for vapers to add their 10ml nicotine shot.

How To Use Short Fills & Nicotine Shots

To make life easy for vapers who use shortfills, some vape juice manufacturers offer nicotine shots to accompany their shortfills. In order to combine the two, all you have to do is unscrew the bottle’s top, add the nic shot, screw the lid back on, and give it a good shake.

If you really want to do things right, you’ll follow this process but then store the bottle in a cool, dark place for a couple of days. After which point, you will want to open the bottle once a day and give it a quick squeeze while being sure not to let any e-liquid out. What you’re trying to accomplish by doing this is to allow the e-liquid to breathe. When you squeeze the bottle, it pushes the stale air out, and when you release it fresh air is pulled back into the bottle. After a few days of letting it breathe and storing it in a cool, dark place, your shortfill is ready to be vaped.

Shortfills & Nic Shots Are Easy To Find

UK vape shops know that many of their customers want shortfills and nic shots to add to them, which is why both are relatively easy to find. There are many popular e-juice brands that sell their vape liquids in shortfill bottles, including Vampire Vape, which is the legendary vape juice manufacturer behind popular e-liquids like Heisenberg, Black Jack, and Ice Menthol. So vapers who want to use shortfills aren’t limited to off-brand e-liquids that they’ve never heard of, they can, in fact, buy shortfills from some of the vape industry’s biggest e-liquid brands.

What To Consider When Adding A Nicotine Shot

One aspect of nic shots that some vapers overlook is the concentration of VG to PG that they contain. They’re not all the same. Ideally, vapers should use a nic shot with a PG/VG ratio that is similar to that of the e-liquid that they’re adding it to.

If the e-liquid being used is not in a shortfill bottle, vapers should make sure that there’s enough room in the bottle to accommodate the nic shot before adding it. The e-liquid should always be well shaken after the nic shot is added.

There Are Apps To Help With E-Liquid Mixing

For those who appreciate a good vaping app, there are many to choose from and some that are even designed to help with DIY e-liquid mixing. There are ones that allow you to save your custom recipes and others that allow you to quickly calculate nicotine concentrations. With the right set of tools, mixing your own e-liquids at home is a breeze.

Why Shortfills & Nic Shots Are Important For Some Vapers

While some vapers use shortfills and nicotine shots to get around TPD restrictions on bottle sizes for nicotine e-liquids, some vapers are simply looking to infuse their e-liquid with what is, to them, the right amount of nicotine to fit their needs.

Many vapers are formerly cigarette smokers. For those who have quit smoking with the use of e-cigarettes, nicotine has almost certainly played an important role. As not all cigarette smokers use the same amount of cigarettes each day, the nicotine consumption rates of smokers can differ greatly. As a result, the same can be said for vapers. Those who smoke a pack or more of cigarettes each day may feel that a higher nicotine strength e-liquid is better suited to their needs. If this strength exceeds the 20mg/ml (2%) limit imposed by TPD regulations, the only viable option may be for vapers to make their own e-juice. It is for this reason that shortfills and nicotine shots are important to some vapers.

Blake Brown
Blake Brown

Blake is the owner and creator of the Guide To Vaping blog. He has expressed his passion for the vaping industry through his deeply rooted and highly informative content. Being a writer and content provider for the vaping industry for year's, Blake has also gained experience from working with multiple blogs and well respected companies.

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