What’s better for vaping, nicotine salts or freebase nicotine? That’s the question that you’re going to find the answer to here. So if you’re still trying to figure out which type of nicotine you want to use with your vape juice then this is the guide you need to read.
It’s important to understand how vape juice is made and how the different ingredients used to make it can affect the outcome of the vapour that you inhale when you use it. Nicotine is one of the ingredients that can play a really big role in the outcome of the vapour.
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If you have too much nicotine, the vapour is going to be too harsh and too strong for you so you want to know what strength works well for you and the only real way to figure that out is to test different strengths. But what if you found out that the type of nicotine can change how smooth or harsh the vapour is? The fact is that different types of nicotine are smoother and harsher than others so you want to know which is which and what the benefits of them are. That’s what you’re about to learn.
Nicotine Salts and their Benefits
Nicotine salts are made by adding benzoic acid to the formula. Adding benzoic acid reduces the nicotine’s pH level and this simple change results in vapour that is way smoother on your throat. Nicotine salts are also believed by some to be absorbed faster into your bloodstream (this is something that scientists are still studying) so you don’t have to wait as long to feel the effects of inhaling vapour from your e-cigarette. There are also claims by some vape juice companies that their nic salts make their vape juice taste better but that’s really subjective so it depends on what you think tastes better or worse.
Because nic salts are smoother, you can have a higher concentration of nicotine in your vape liquid without it being so harsh you can’t even inhale it without choking on it. If you want a vape juice with something like 5% nicotine then you probably want a nic salt juice because anything that uses freebase is going to be crazy harsh on your throat at that concentration.
So here’s a list of the benefits of nicotine salts:
- Can be used in higher strengths/concentrations without becoming too harsh to inhale (less irritation to the throat.)
- The nicotine may be absorbed faster into your bloodstream.
- The vape juice may taste better but this is really subjective and likely depends more on the flavour of vape juice and the other ingredients used to make it.
- Smoother vapour.
Freebase Nicotine and its Benefits
Freebase nicotine is the original nicotine used in vapes. It was the standard until fourth-generation pods came along and then the game changed. These days, single-use vapes (disposables) and pod vapes tend to use nic salts and are super popular with vapers, often offering 5% strength in various flavours. So what about freebase, are there really any benefits to using it at this point?
The main benefit of using freebase is to make the vapour harsher. This can be important for smokers who have made that switch to vapes or ones that are trying to make that switch over to vaping because tobacco smoke is pretty harsh and you definitely feel it when it hits the back of your throat. So when switching to vapes, some smokers need to get that same feeling and using freebase nic is one the ways to get it.
Some people also believe freebase handles complex flavours better than salts. That’s another subjective point because what tastes good to you might not taste good to someone else.
One of the biggest benefits of using freebase nicotine is that it’s less expensive, with bottles often sold for noticeably less than vape juices that use salts.
So here are the real benefits of using freebase nicotine:
- The harsher vapour that vapers will feel more in their throat when they inhale.
- It’s usually cheaper to buy than nic salts.
- More versatile when it comes to which vaping devices it works with.
Overview: Which Nicotine Type is Best for Vaping?
To answer the question of which type of nicotine is best, you need to look at what matters most to you. The taste difference may be something that you don’t notice at all so the real questions then become smoothness and cost. If you want a really smooth vapour, you want a juice made with salts.
If you want it harsh, go with a freebase nicotine juice. To save money, you’ll probably want to consider freebase options. And then there’s the issue of whether the nicotine vape juice you’re considering getting even works with your vape. Do you need to buy a new vape to use that particular juice? If you need a new vape and don’t have the funds to buy one then that pretty much answers your question for you of which type of nicotine to use.