What is a doubler? And what do I do with them?
Now that you're a master coil builder and you're wicking like a pro, it's time to get your juice on and cloud up!
It can take a while to find a flavour you can stick to. There are literally thousands on offer around the world, from tobacco flavours to candy flavours, fruits, drinks, pastries - the list is seemingly endless and grows by the day. It's good to be spoilt for choice though. Once you've found a broad flavour profile you like, you can simply narrow the search from there.
However, if your favourite e-juice happens to be from an Australian manufacturer, you will encounter a little hurdle when it comes to getting your nicotine fix.
Currently (and it's not about to change any time soon), it is illegal to sell or supply nicotine solution in or from Australia. Australians can import nicotine solution for personal use, as long as they don't import more than three month's worth (however much that's supposed to be). Therefore, your favourite Aussie e-juice manufacturer is prohibited by law from supplying you with nicotine!
So here is the dilemma. You want to buy Aussie e-juice, but you need it to contain nicotine. The solution?
Doublers!
What is a doubler?
A doubler is simply nicotine-free e-juice at twice the flavour concentration for the purpose of mixing at a 50/50 ratio with unflavoured nicotine solution. This page on the website explains it in detail.
What do I do with them?
Don't worry, it's not rocket science. For the below I will assume you are using the 50/50 method of mixing. If you bought your doubler from a vendor who likes you, they will have supplied your doubler as a half-measure in a full bottle. That is, buying a "30mL doubler" will give you 15mL of flavour concentrate in a 30mL bottle, to which you add a further 15mL of nic solution to get your desired nicotine strength in the flavour the maker intended.
1. Source and import your nicotine solution.
Make sure you select a reputable vendor, one who has been in business for a while and has a decent number of positive customer reviews. Do your best to buy from a supplier that produces the nic solution themselves and is not just re-selling someone else's juice. And where possible, try and buy solution that only contains pharma-grade PG, VG and nicotine - there's really no need for any other ingredients.
What strength nicotine should I get?
First, let's talk about what NOT to get.
Please DO NOT buy pure nicotine! Unless you're prepared to mix wearing a hazmat suit you will probably kill yourself.
Also, don't buy 100mg/L solution. You just don't need it for doublers, and again, you can make yourself seriously ill (or seriously dead) with it. Accidentally killing yourself with nic solution would kind of defeat the whole purpose of giving up smoking for vaping, right?
In reality, for the 50/50 method, picking the strength is dead easy (no pun intended). You simply buy at a strength twice what you vape at.
For example:
If you vape at: Buy unflavoured nic at:
24mg 48mg
18mg 36mg
12mg 24mg
6mg 12mg
3mg 6mg
Mixing 15mL of 24mg unflavoured nic into a 15mL doubler will give you 30mL of a 12mg nic solution at full flavour. That's all there is to it!
2. Pick a flavour, buy a doubler.
Fairly self-explanatory really. Again, if your vendor is nice, you will get a half-measure of concentrate in a full bottle, making the mixing a breeze.
3. Mix the nic into the doubler concentrate.
Be careful not to spill any, especially if you have any small cuts, sores or blisters on your fingers. Trust me - nicotine overdose is not a nice way to spend an evening.
If you got a full bottle of flavour concentrate, you will need to decant it into a marked measuring container, and make sure you mix exactly 50/50. Not enough nic and the flavour will be too strong. Too much nic and you'll end up on the floor.
If you couldn't get the nic strength you wanted, or are using your mate's old 48mg/L solution and you only want a 3mg vape, the indispensable doubler calculator is your best friend here.
4. Shake it.
Shout out to all the Taylor Swift fans! No, not really. Give it a good rattle. You want to make sure the nicotine and flavourings all disperse evenly amongst the PG/VG medium. After a minute or so you should see tiny bubbles in the mixture. Let it sit until they've all disappeared.
5. Vape it!
Bam! You are now holding a bottle of proudly Australian-made flavouring at your preferred nicotine strength. The only thing left to do is fog up your living space!
It would be remiss of me not to remind you at this point that, technically, nicotine solution is a poison. It can be dangerous, especially to children (you may have seen this news story floating around cyberspace recently). Make sure the bottle is clearly marked, buy from a vendor who has the wherewithal to use childproof caps, and keep it stored up high at all times.
Next week we will scour the medical literature for the latest research and pick it apart. Should be fun....!
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