Here at Vape Juice, we’ve spent a good deal of time discussing the VG/PG ratio of vape juice. Vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol are both great bases for e-liquid, and you can make vape juice for a wide variety of different vaping scenarios just by varying the ratios in which those two compounds are used.
Today, though, we’re going to talk about a very specific type of e-liquid: max VG vape juice. Max VG is the VG/PG ratio of choice for a certain subset of vapers, and you’re likely to see it quite often when you shop for high-end vape gear.
So, what exactly is max VG vape juice? What are the pros and cons, and is it the right type of e-liquid for you? Let’s dig in.
What Is the Definition of Max VG Vape Juice?
The first thing you need to know about max VG vape juice is that it has no universally accepted definition – and the second thing you need to know is that “max VG” usually does not mean “PG free.”
In short, max VG vape juice usually means two things:
- The e-liquid contains the maximum amount of VG possible while still providing the intended flavor experience and working with the widest possible variety of vaping equipment.
- Max VG e-liquid usually contains at least 80 percent VG.
There are two reasons why a few people within the vaping community try to avoid PG in e-liquid as much as possible. We’ll discuss those reasons shortly. What you need to know, though, is that if you are one of the few people who actually wants to avoid PG, you need to look for 100-percent VG e-liquid rather than max VG e-liquid.
These Are the Best Max VG E-Liquid Brands Today
In the world of freebase vape juice, it's safe to say that max VG is king. Virtually all mainstream freebase e-liquids today contain around 70-75 percent VG because people love blowing big, thick clouds across a room. Max VG e-liquid also has a superb mouth feel that just makes you want to have more. Here are just a few of the best max VG e-liquid brands on the market today.
- Humble Juice Co: With prices starting at under $5.00 per bottle, "humble" is an apt term for the affordable but brilliant e-liquids from Humble Juice Co. This company has a flavor for everyone, but look no further than the delicious American Dream for a taste of what Humble is all about. Capturing the flavor of a fruity cereal served with sweet, creamy milk, this is the ultimate breakfast e-liquid for max VG aficionados.
- Candy King: Here's a vape juice brand with a name that tells you everything you need to know right up front -- Candy King is the one e-liquid brand that you absolutely must try if you love candy flavors because you won't find another brand anywhere that creates such realistic renditions of the world's most popular candies. Batch by Candy King is a must try if you enjoy sweet-and-sour flavors.
- Glas Basix: If you like vape juice flavors that are straightforward and well defined without ever being boring, Glas Basix is the vape juice brand for you. With several tobacco flavors along with plenty of sweeter options, it's safe to say that you'll find something suiting your taste in this company's lineup. Trying to fight off a case of vape tongue? Glas even has an unflavored vape juice available. Give it a try the next time you find yourself having difficulty tasting the finer details in your usual vape juice.
100-Percent VG E-Liquid: Why It’s Hard to Find
So, we’ve established that max VG vape juice almost always has at least a little PG. Why is that? These are the reasons why 100-percent VG e-liquid can be difficult to find. Because of these reasons, max VG e-liquid is much more common than 100-percent VG e-liquid.
- VG is thick and syrupy; it’s really too thick to perform well with most vaping equipment unless you dilute it. PG is the ideal substance for diluting e-liquid to the right consistency, so it’s what most e-liquid makers use. However, some e-liquid makers do dilute their 100-percent VG e-liquids with a few drops of water or pure grain alcohol instead of PG.
- VG is a poor solvent, and it isn’t nearly as good at carrying flavors as PG. In many max VG e-liquids, the only PG that’s added is the PG that’s used as a base for the flavors. That’s because some people find that VG-based flavors simply don’t taste as good.
What Are the Benefits of Max VG Vape Juice?
Although VG has a couple of drawbacks as a base for an e-liquid – we’ve mentioned two of those above – it also has many benefits, which is why max VG vape juice is so popular. These are the reasons why some people want to buy e-liquid containing the maximum amount of VG possible.
Some People Are Allergic or Sensitive to PG
We will preface this statement by saying that if you were allergic or sensitive to PG, you’d probably already know that. Unless you’re specifically trying to avoid it, PG is an ingredient that you’re probably interacting with every day because it’s commonly found in shampoos, lotions, toothpastes, cosmetics, medications, foods, powdered beverages and more.
With that being said, there are a few people who have PG allergies or sensitivities, and those people may experience symptoms like itchy skin, throat irritation or watering eyes when using e-liquids containing PG. If you experience any of those symptoms, you may want to try a 100-percent VG e-liquid.
Thicker E-Liquids Work Best With RDAs and Cloud Chasing Tanks
If you’re using a high-end sub-ohm tank with a large coil, your coil has very large wick openings and will work best with a thicker e-liquid as a result. With a cloud chasing tank, an e-liquid that’s too thin will tend to seep through the wick too quickly and leak out the tank’s bottom air vents. Max VG e-liquids are ideal for cloud chasing tanks. They’re also ideal for RDAs since an atomizer for dripping has no wick openings and can therefore accommodate an e-liquid with any thickness.
VG Enhances an E-Liquid’s Sweetness
VG has a number of properties that make it ideal as a food ingredient. It retains moisture and prevents baked goods from becoming stale. It also inhibits microbial growth and helps to delay spoilage. Another interesting property of VG, though, is that it tastes sweet. That’s useful for e-liquid because many people prefer sweet-tasting vape juices. A max VG e-liquid can taste sweet even if it doesn’t contain a large amount of sucralose, which is a good thing because sucralose causes coil gunk and shortens coil life.
VG Enhances an E-Liquid’s Cloud Production
Perhaps the biggest reason why some people prefer max VG e-liquids is because a thicker e-liquid produces bigger clouds. Many vapers absolutely love huge clouds, and even if you’re not one of those people, you may still appreciate the fact that a high-VG e-liquid offers a more substantial mouth feel compared to a vape juice consisting of mostly PG. VG-based e-liquids feel thick and creamy in the mouth, whereas PG-based e-liquids don’t really feel like much of anything at all. If you want an e-liquid that makes it possible for you to produce your own personal weather systems, though, a max VG e-liquid is definitely the vape juice for you.
VG-Based E-Liquids Deliver Smoother Throat Hit
Most people find that VG-based vapor feels very smooth in the throat, while PG-based vapor feels a bit on the scratchy side. How you feel about that may depend on where you are in your vaping journey. If you have just started vaping, you might prefer a higher-nicotine e-liquid that offers an assertive throat hit. If that’s the case, max VG e-liquid may not be the best choice for you. Max VG is perfect, though, if you prefer a smoother vaping experience and don’t care about throat hit.
VG Is a Completely Natural Compound
PG is usually derived from natural ingredients, but it is a synthetic compound produced in laboratories. VG, on the other hand, is a completely natural compound. Although it isn’t an oil, it’s derived from vegetable oil used during the soapmaking process. The creation of soap involves mixing lye with oil, and the lye triggers a chemical reaction that creates soap and glycerin. Some soap makers add some of the glycerin back to their soap for its moisturizing properties, and others save the glycerin for other uses. If you’d like to avoid using synthetic ingredients for vaping as much as possible, you’ll probably appreciate the fact that VG is a natural compound.
What Are the Drawbacks of Max VG Vape Juice?
Like so many other variables that you can introduce into your vaping experience, using an e-liquid containing more VG than PG has benefits and drawbacks. As you’ve seen from reading the information above, there are quite a few compelling reasons to choose a max VG vape juice. However, it’s not the ideal choice for every person who vapes. Here’s why.
Max VG E-Liquid May Not Work Well in a Pod System or MTL Tank
As we’ve already described, VG is much thicker than PG. That’s great if you have a sub-ohm tank that can handle thick e-liquids, but you’re probably not going to have a great experience if you try to use a max VG vape juice in a small pod vaping system or a mouth-to-lung tank. If you use a tank or pod system with small wick openings, a very thick e-liquid like a max VG vape juice will have trouble flowing through those openings as you vape.
How can you tell if your e-liquid is too thick to work well with your vaping device? You’ll know it because you’ll experience random dry hits when vaping, even when there’s still plenty of e-liquid in your tank. The dry hits will happen because the e-liquid flows too slowly through the device’s wick holes, thus causing the coil to dry out. The smallest vaping devices only work well with thin e-liquids.
The Sweetness of VG May Mask Subtle Flavors
Sweet e-liquids may be the most popular vaping products on the market today, but they’re not what everyone wants. There are still plenty of vapers in the world who prefer to experience e-liquids that use complex blends of many different flavors rather than simple blends with sweeteners. If you fall into that category, you should know that a max VG base isn’t usually ideal for allowing the subtle notes in a complex flavor blend to come through. That’s because VG’s sweetness will often tend to mask flavors used in smaller proportions, thus allowing only the strongest flavors to come through. If you like e-liquids with complex flavor blends, you may enjoy a 50/50 VG/PG ratio more than a max VG vape juice.