Everything You Need To Know About Shortfill Vape Juice
Shortfill vape juices have been on the market since 2017 after the new legislations which came in to effect under the Tobacco Products Directive.
A restriction was put on the size of bottles which contained nicotine e-liquid but quick thinking manufacturers found a way around this and shortfills as we know them today were born!
Read our comprehensive guide that tells you everything you need to know about shortfills e-liquids and find out if they are the right vape juice for you!
Table of Contents
What Are Shortfills? - The History of Shortfills
- VG/PG Ratio Explained
- What Sizes Do Shortfills Come In?
- Benefits of Using Shortfills
- How Many Nic Shots Should I Use?
- How To Add Nicotine Shots
- Best Vape Device For Shortfills
- Are Shortfills Right For You?
What Are Shortfill E-Liquids?
Shortfill is the name given to a larger bottle of e-liquid which you can buy and add nicotine shots to reach your desired nicotine strength.
They are called shortfills because the bottles are either 50ml or 100ml and are short filled from capacity with flavour base, and the space left is for the nicotine shots to be added to.
Shortfills have increased in popularity within the vaping community as they offer more vape juice for your money, as well as being able to tailor the nicotine strength to whatever you want it to be. We explain more about adding in nicotine shots further down the page.
The History of Shortfills
Large bottles of vape juice have been on the market for many years, but from what they were originally marketed as to what they are now is slightly different, which ultimately came down to the introduction of the TPD Regulations in 2017.
Before these regulations came into effect, bottles of vape juice that contained nicotine had no restrictions on the size they could be sold at so 100ml and even 200ml bottles of e-liquid were being sold to avid vapers looking to get as much vape juice as possible for the lowest price possible.
However, in 2017, the Tobacco Products Directive was introduced to Europe, which changed how vape juice could be sold in Europe going forward. The regulations stated that any vape juice that contains nicotine must not be sold in bottles that exceed 10ml volume.
This of course caused some upset within the vaping world as notably buying multiple 10ml bottles would work out considerably more expensive than buying a 100ml bottle would be.
It wasn’t long before quick-witted vape juice manufacturers found a way to still manufacture and sell larger bottles of e-liquids whilst still adhering to TPD regulations and the creation of shortfills then happened!
As shortfills do not have vape juice that contains nicotine, this meant that they could freely be sold on the market without breaking any rules. 10ml nicotine shots were also created and sold alongside them and these could be added into the shortfills to make the desired nicotine strength which was being sought after.
The VG/PG Ratio of Shortfills Explained
When shortfills first came on to the market, they were only made at a "High VG" ratio, normally either 70/30 or 80/20 ratio (VG/PG) and designed for vapers using bigger sub ohm devices and wanting to only use a lower nicotine strength as the wattage of sub ohm devices would need to be set quite high so the coil warmed up properly to heat the liquid and turn it into vapour. You might not know what the best VG/PG ratio would be for you to use and we explain this in more detail below.
Our 50ml shortfills come as 70VG/30PG ratio, meaning there will be more flavour as the concentrates react better with a higher VG content to produce more flavour as well as more vapour production when you put this vape juice in your tank or pod.
Our 100ml shortfills come as 50VG/50PG ratio, which is the standard mix for our Original £1 range, but of course they do not contain nicotine in the vape juice like what the OG range does. These are ideal if you're looking for a MTL style vape as the PG will provide a throat hit alongside the nicotine should you choose to add in the nicotine shots.
What Sizes Do Shortfills Come In?
There are a few different options when it comes to the size of shortfill bottles, and it can be slightly confusing to know what you’re buying if you’ve never used them before.
The shortfills options we sell here at LiQuid are either 50ml or 100ml and this volume applies to the amount of vape juice which comes in the bottles and not actually the bottle size.
Our 50ml shortfills are 70ml size bottles, short filled with 50ml of flavour base leaving plenty of room for at least 2 nicotine shots to be added in.
Our 100ml shortfills are 120ml size bottles, short filled with 100ml of flavour base and this then leaves enough space for 20ml of nicotine shots to be added in.
Benefits of Using Shortfills
Using shortfill vape juice does have several advantages compared to using 10ml vape juices as we explain below;
Cheaper Than 10mls
Buying shortfills will work out considerably cheaper than if you were to buy the same amount of 10ml bottles. You can get 100ml of Bar Salts with nicotine shots included for just £9.99. Where the same amount of vape juice in 10ml bottles would cost you £20.
More Flavour Options
Some vape juice flavours will be exclusive to a range of shortfills.
And if you’re buying a High VG shortfill, these will be mixed at a 70/30 VG/PG ratio meaning you will get a lot more flavour from your vape juice as the concentrates react with higher VG usage.
Less Waste
Buying and using shortfills will create less wastage than if you were using 10ml bottles. Shortfills will last you longer and create less wastage than what using 10ml bottles does as you will not be throwing empty bottles away as frequently.
Nic Strength Control
Some vapers may be seeking to achieve a nicotine strength which isn’t offered as industry standard.
For example, you can add in 1 and a half nicotine shots to reach (approx.) a 4.5mg nicotine strength. Or half of a 10ml nic shot to get 1.5mg (approx.)
How Many Nicotine Shots Do I Add To My Shortfill?
With shortfills, you get full control on the nicotine strength that you want your vape juice to be. Our nicotine shots come in either 18mg or 20mg if you were to buy Nic Salt shots. These then dilute down depending on how much vape juice is in your shortfill.
Below is a breakdown of how many nicotine shots you’d need to reach your desired nicotine strength:
50ml Shortfill 3mg – You will need to add one 10ml nicotine shot which will make 60ml of e-liquid at 3mg nicotine strength.
50ml Shortfill 6mg – You will need to add two 10ml nicotine shots which will make 70ml of e-liquid at 6mg nicotine strength.
100ml Shortfill 3mg – You will need to add two 10ml nicotine shots which will make 120ml of e-liquid at 3mg nicotine strength.
How To Add Nicotine Shots & Use Shortfill E-Liquids
Adding in nicotine shots is a relatively simple task, with the trickiest part notoriously being getting the lid off of the bottle to be able to pour in your nicotine shots.
Here at LiQuid, we know how much of a pain this can be which is why we’ve made our bottles user friendly for you to be able to get your nicotine shots in with minimal hassle.
Our 50ml bottles are known as “chubby gorilla” bottles, and the outer rim of the top cap has a divot between the cap and the bottle itself, and you can use the rim of the lid of the bottle to prize off the top cap giving you a large opening to pour your nicotine shots in.
Our 100ml shortfill bottles are slightly different for filling up. The top cap is hinged giving easy access to create an opening for you to pour/squeeze your nicotine shots in to the bottle.
When it comes to adding in your nicotine shots, you can either squeeze the bottle to add the nicotine shots in or remove the top cap of the bottles and freely pour them in, the choice is yours!
Once you have added in the nicotine shots, replace the top cap/nib and ensure that it is firmly fixed in place (you should hear a series of clicks with the top cap going back on to the bottle),
Once this is done, give your bottle a vigorous shake for around 5-10 seconds.
This will ensure that the nicotine gets properly mixed in with your vape juice and once that is done, your shortfill is ready to go.
We recommend putting your bottle down on a flat surface when you’re wanting to add in your nic shots as this will avoid any mishaps. Also ensure that you put the lid of the bottle back on and secure it in place tightly before shaking.
What's The Best Vape Kit For Shortfills?
When it comes to choosing the best vape device for shortfills, it ultimately comes down to what VG/PG ratio your shortfill vape juice is mixed at.
If you opt for a High VG shortfill, you’re going to want to use a device that uses coils with an ohm resistance of 0.6 ohm or lower. Ideally, the device would have variable wattage as well so that you can ramp up your wattage to get maximum flavour as well as big clouds of vapour.
We would recommend pairing our High VG shortfills with a device such as the Innokin Coolfire Z60. Not only does this device use sub-ohm coils, but also it has variable wattage which you can adjust to your preferred output to enjoy the rich flavours of your vape juice. You can check out our blog about what wattage to vape at if you're using a variable wattage device.
If you chose our Bar Salts shortfills, these are mixed at a 50/50 VGPG ratio, meaning that they can be used in any device that uses coils 0.7ohms or higher. This is because it will provide a true mouth-to-lung vape experience from the coil used as well as the PG in the vape juice giving a punchy, but smooth throat hit.
Our Bar Salts shortfills pair perfectly with any refillable pod vape kits such as the Argus P2 or the Aspire Gotek X as they use higher ohm resistance coils and give a MTL vape experience that will be packed full of flavour.
Are Shortfills Right For You?
As we conclude this guide to shortfills, we hope that it has been educational and helpful to you, answering any questions you may have had surrounding shortfills and how to use them. But you may still be on the fence on whether or not shortfills are the right vape juice for you.
If you're looking for a cost effective way to vape, then shortfills are right for you. And also if you're looking to only use a lower nicotine strength such as 3mg or 6mg then you can easily achieve these nicotine strengths by adding in nicotine shots to your shortfills to reach your desired strength.
They're also a great option if you're wanting to vape nicotine free vape juice as these all come as 0mg nicotine, and you can opt to not have the nicotine shots included with your purchase.
However, if you're looking for a higher strength nicotine content in your vape juice, then shortfills may not be the right thing for you. The bottles are not big enough to get multiple nic shots in to ramp it up to that higher nicotine strength such as 12mg or 18mg for example.
You could look at shortfills as your "end goal" when it comes to vaping, as the ideology of vaping is that it provides a way to lower your nicotine dependency if you've quit smoking and you can gradually lower your nicotine strength of your vape juice over time and then you'd be able to use shortfills!
Written By James Drake
James discovered the world of vaping 7 years ago as an alternative to smoking. Since then, he's become a dedicated enthusiast, experimenting with various e-cigarettes, flavours, and nicotine strengths.
Starting off with a 12mg freebase vape juice, within 12 months James had lowered his nicotine strength right down to 3mg and found the world of shortfills and this has been his go to vape juice for many years now!
James is committed to sharing his in-depth knowledge to help both new and experienced users make informed decisions about vaping and alternatives to smoking and his blogs are a platform for honest reviews, helpful tips, and discussions.
