When shopping for E-Liquids, you’ll see an assortment of different options awaiting. As well as standard freebase 10ml E-Liquids, you’ll also find nic salts, nic shots, shortfills, pods and more!
This can be a little confusing if you’re trying to transition to vaping from smoking, or are a vaper looking to enhance their vape experience.
Here we’re going to take a look at the difference between shortfill E-Liquids and 10ml E-Liquids.
We have previously explored the difference between nic salts and freebase; if you’d like to find out more about these types of E-Liquid:
What Are 10ml E-Liquids?
As you can probably tell from the name, a 10ml E-Liquid is a bottle of E-Liquid that contains 10ml of vape juice. In the UK, 10ml is the maximum size for an E-Liquid bottle that contains nicotine.
10ml E-Liquids are pre-mixed with nicotine, and are available in a range of strengths, typically: 0mg, 3mg, 6mg, 10mg, 12mg, 15mg, 18mg, 20mg.
How Do You Use 10ml E-Liquids?
As 10ml E-Liquids are pre-mixed, all you need to do is fill your tank with your chosen juice, and then you’re ready to vape!
Who Should Vape 10ml E-Liquids?
Many people who transition from smoking will start their vaping journey on 10ml E-Liquids, as they are particularly easy to find and use.
If you prefer mouth-to-lung vaping, then 10ml E-Liquids are ideal for you too. A 10ml bottle can last a couple of days on a low-powered kit used for MTL vaping, but would be used up quickly on a high-powered device for cloud chasing.
Pros of 10ml E-Liquids
- Easy to use.
- Can be found readily in shops.
- Bottles tend to be cheaper, some under £1.
- Available in a wide range of nicotine strengths.
- Great for new vapers and those who use low-powered MTL vapes.
Cons of 10ml E-Liquids
- Not much E-Liquid for higher-powered devices.
- Not the most cost-efficient way of vaping.
- Heavy vapers or DTL vapers may need to carry multiple bottles.
What Are Shortfills?
Due to vaping laws in the UK restricting E-Liquids with nicotine in to only 10ml, the vaping industry developed shortfills to get around these restrictions, so vapers could have larger bottles and save money.
Shortfills are a larger bottle of nicotine-free E-Liquid available in 25ml, 50ml, 100ml, 200ml and 400ml sizes. These shortfill bottles are - as the name suggests - a little underfilled (aka shortfilled), so that they can have a nic shot mixed in.
A nic shot is a 10ml bottle of pure nicotine. Nic shots are added to shortfills to add nicotine to the bottle and make a larger bottle of E-Liquid.
How Do You Use Shortfills?
Shortfills can be used on their own as a nicotine-free vape juice, or they can be mixed with a nic shot for a lower strength E-Liquid. Most shortfills will be a maximum of 6mg after the nic shots are added.
The shortfill alone, or the shortfill mixed with nic shot, will be poured into the tank and vaped, as with a 10ml E-Liquid.
Who Should Vape Shortfills?
Shortfills are great for a number of reasons and for a variety of different vape styles. Firstly, shortfills are great for vapers who want to buy their E-Liquids as cheaply and efficiently as possible.
Some vapers will get through 10ml bottles quickly - whether they vape frequently throughout the day or use a sub-ohm or direct-to-lung vape. This can make things more expensive, as well as cause more waste from empty bottles.
If you are using up your 10ml bottles too quickly, then a shortfill can be more convenient.
This is one of the reasons that shortfills can be good for DTL vapers, as it will take longer to use up the bottle when creating bigger vape clouds. Shortfills are perfect for sub-ohm vaping, too, as they are lower nicotine strengths (typically 0mg - 6mg).
Pros of Shortfills
- Cheaper, as you can buy more E-Liquid at once.
- Can be used in most device types.
- Better for high powered devices.
- More flavour options.
Cons of Shortfills
- Only available in lower nicotine strengths - usually 3mg and 6mg.
- Larger bottles may be harder to carry.
- Not as easy as pre-mixed shortfills - need to mix with the right amount of nic shots.
Take a look at our blog to discover how to properly mix shortfills and nic shots, and the amounts that need to be used:
10ml E-Liquids and shortfills each have their own pros and cons, and the best option will depend on your vaping style, preferences and needs. Here at RED Box Vape, we offer a wide variety of both 10ml E-Liquids and shortfills, as well as an assortment of other E-Liquids online, such as nic salts and vape juice cartridges.
