Salt Nic vs. Freebase Vape Juice

Beginners are most likely to experience this. When they buy vape juice, one of the questions they almost always ask is, “What is the difference between freebase vape juice and nicotine salts?” Many regular vapers don’t know the answer to this question. Don’t worry. You are not the only one.

If you don’t know the difference between freebase and nicotine salts, here’s your chance to find out. You need to understand this to choose the right vape juice for you and have a great vaping experience.

Knowing the difference between nicotine salts and freebase nicotine is essential when you’re a new vaper. I’m sure you’d like to continue reading, regardless of whether you’re familiar with these terms or not.

Freebase Nicotine & Nicotine Salts

Most vape liquids or e-juices used in vape pens and other similar devices are composed of three main ingredients: propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), flavouring, and nicotine. In addition, those first three ingredients are available in various types and qualities. It is essential to shop with a reputable online smoke shop to ensure you are getting high-quality, safe ingredients.

However, there are two types of nicotine: freebase nicotine and nicotine salt.

Nicotine Salts (Salt nics)

In a short period, the vaping industry has seen huge innovations. How has Salt Nics changed the game?

For a couple of years now, nicotine salts (commonly referred to as nic salts) have been widely used in e-liquids. As a groundbreaking vaping innovation, they are only just now exploding in popularity. In addition, Nicotine Salt does not contain salt and will not affect your sodium intake.

Initially, JUUL closed vaping pods gained tremendous popularity in the US, where they offered a powerful punch of 50% nicotine salts e-liquid. After that, they started spreading into other countries, including Canada.

Freebase Nicotine

Philip Morris International (owner of the Marlboro brand) began doing research in the 1960s that resulted in the discovery of freebase nicotine. It is now used in cigarettes, nicotine replacement products (including gum and patches) and e-liquid vapes.

To freebase nicotine, it is converted from its natural salt state to its ‘purest’ form at its base. As a result, it can potentially be a more cost-effective way for vapers to boost potency without increasing the dose. In the process, ammonia (an alkaline) is used to remove the protons from salt, making it deprotonated and free-base.

The Big Difference

All vapers want their vaping experience to be as similar to smoking as possible. To function optimally, the nicotine delivery needs to mimic that of a regular cigarette as closely as possible.

Before, vapers had only the option of using freebase nicotine in their vape juice. However, this type of nicotine is more alkaline and harsh in higher doses since the pH value is higher.

The user’s previous smoking experience and vaping experience can affect the intensity of the throat hit delivered by a high quantity of freebase nicotine. As a result, many new vapers reduce the nicotine content in their liquids in order to be gentler on their throats.

The problem is that if nicotine levels are lowered too quickly, there’s a risk that they will turn back to cigarettes because their cravings won’t be satisfied.

Additionally, they could take more drags from their vaporizer to satisfy their cravings. But this results in more e-juice being used, which increases the cost of the entire experience. If the cost of vaping is higher than the cost of smoking, people might turn back towards it.

When salt nics were developed, they were meant to be a trade-off point between nicotine craving satisfaction and getting a smoother vaping experience so that the vaper can vape as much as they want.

Nicotine Salts Core Facts

• Contains Benzoic or Citric acid to optimize effectiveness
• Bloodstream absorption is fast
• Higher doses are still smooth
• Flavour complexity is limited
• Low cloud production
• Best for MTL devices
• More expensive than freebase in volume
• High Nicotine strengths are readily available
• Best for Beginners as well as expert vapers
• Work best with low-wattage pod systems
• Longer shelf-life due to slower oxidation
• Can provide a cigarette-like hit with less amount of e-juice

Freebase Nicotine Core Facts

• Don’t contain any additional additives
• Slower absorption rate
• Harsher throat hit at higher doses
• Maximum flavour complexity
• Massive cloud production
• Can be used with MTL and DTL devices
• Less expensive than salt nics in volume
• Best for vapers with low nicotine needs

Which Vape Juice is Right For Me?

Nicotine salts would be a good choice if any of the following apply to you:

• You are trying to quit smoking
• You have tried vaping in the past but didn’t see the expected results
• You don’t want to buy an expensive and complicated vape device
• You need a higher nicotine level than what freebase can provide

Otherwise, you can safely use freebase nicotine vape juices. You can even select zero percent nicotine vape juices if you want to chase clouds without taking any nicotine.

Wrapping it Up

Now you know that freebase vape juices usually contain 0mg-12mg nicotine. Salt nics can have anywhere between 20-mg to 50mg and even higher. If you want to consume low levels of nicotine, you should stick to freebase salts. If you need higher doses, you should switch to salt nics from a reputable online vape shop in Canada.

You can purchase disposable vapes, vape pens, pod systems, box mods, and more from our online vape store. Talk to us and we will guide you through the process and make sure that you get something that’ll help you quit smoking and enjoy the entire experience.