# Nic salts vs freebase: which to use in DIY

> Nic salts or freebase nicotine for home mixing: throat hit, smoothness, hardware and dosing compared point by point, with a verdict for each vaping style.


Stand in front of a British shelf of 10 ml shots and the same question comes up every time: freebase or salt. Both will put nicotine into a home mix, but they do not deliver the same throat sensation, they do not feel the same at the same figure, and they do not suit the same hardware. Choosing between **nic salts** and freebase is worth five minutes of thought before the first bottle goes in the basket, because it sets the strength, the base and the comfort of everything that follows.

## Nic salts and freebase, the difference in brief

The distinction is chemical. Freebase nicotine, the older of the two, is nicotine in its unbound form, and it gives a marked throat hit with a gradual build. **Nic salts** are nicotine combined with an acid, most often benzoic acid, which softens the passage over the throat noticeably.

In practice freebase suits moderate strengths and builds that produce a lot of vapour, while salts carry higher figures without the same harshness, which is why they dominate the pod section in British shops. Both are capped at 20 mg/ml here, in bottles of no more than 10 ml, so the ceiling is identical whichever you pick.

The rest of this article takes the comparison criterion by criterion, from the sensation in the mouth through to what it means at the mixing bench.

## Throat hit and smoothness

This is the most immediate difference, the one you notice on the first draw, and on its own it settles a large part of the decision.

Freebase pushes. At an equal figure it contracts the throat more, which some vapers actively want and which becomes uncomfortable past a certain point. That firmness is part of why freebase liquids tend to be sold at lower strengths.

**Nic salts** smooth that edge out. The acid form softens the passage so that a heavily loaded liquid stays comfortable where the same figure in freebase would feel rough. The smoothness is exactly what allows the high strength pod formats to exist at all.

There is a consequence worth stating plainly. A smoother liquid is easier to inhale deeply and more often, which is a behaviour to keep an eye on rather than a feature. Comfort and restraint are not the same thing.

## The hardware each one suits

The form of nicotine is not chosen independently of the device. A poor match gives a disappointing result no matter how carefully the recipe was built.

Salts are aimed at low power setups: pods, compact devices, higher resistance coils on a tight mouth to lung draw. That is also the hardware British rules push towards, since refillable tanks sold here hold no more than 2 ml.

Freebase copes with every format and becomes the sensible option on sub ohm builds, where a moderate figure is enough to cover large volumes of vapour. Push a high salt figure through a sub ohm coil and the result is overwhelming rather than pleasant.

The base follows the same logic. A salt mix generally pairs with a PG richer base on a tight draw, while a sub ohm build wants a VG heavy blend, a trade off set out in our guide to the [PG VG ratio of a DIY base](/uk/pg-vg-ratio/).

## Dosing nic salts and freebase in a home mix

Adding nicotine to a home mix follows identical arithmetic in both cases. What differs is the figure people aim at, and that is a practical point to settle before buying shots.

British shots exist in both forms, generally at 18 or 20 mg/ml, twenty being the legal ceiling. The calculation is the same whichever you buy, and it is set out in our guide to [dosing a nicotine shot](/uk/nicotine-shot-dosage/).

There is one mechanical difference at the bench. Salt shots are frequently sold at 50/50 or PG heavy, which drags a shortfill towards PG once added, and a salt shot poured into a large VG heavy shortfill can end up mismatched with the hardware it was bought for.

Salts also mean the finished bottle is usually smaller. Since the figure is higher and the device is a pod, most people mixing with salts work in 30 or 60 ml batches rather than filling a 120 ml bottle.

One habit saves a lot of confusion later. Write the form of nicotine on the label alongside the strength, because two bottles at the same figure will not feel the same in the mouth if one is salt and the other freebase. Without that note, a batch mixed six weeks ago becomes impossible to interpret.

The safety routine does not change between the two. Gloves on when a shot is open, bottles capped and upright, everything stored away from light and heat, and the whole lot kept well out of reach of children and pets. None of these products may be sold to under-18s in the United Kingdom.

## A comparison table

The summary below gathers the criteria that actually decide the question in home mixing. It is enough to settle the choice at a glance.

| Criterion | Freebase nicotine | Nic salts |
|---|---|---|
| Throat hit | Marked, builds gradually | Smooth, rounded off |
| Comfortable figures | Rather moderate | Carries higher figures |
| Hardware | Every format, including sub ohm | Pods and small setups |
| Base it pairs with | Depends on the draw | Usually PG richer |
| Typical batch size | Large bottles and shortfills | Smaller bottles |
| UK ceiling | 20 mg/ml in 10 ml bottles | 20 mg/ml in 10 ml bottles |

## The verdict by profile

Neither form wins outright. The right answer depends on the hardware in your hand and on how you use it, and three profiles stand out clearly.

The sub ohm vaper, producing a lot of vapour at a moderate figure, stays with freebase, which is the only coherent option for that style. Anything else is fighting the hardware.

Someone using a small discreet pod, after a higher figure without the harshness, goes to **nic salts**. That is the combination the format was designed around, and it is why the two arrived on the British market together.

Between the two sits the all round mouth to lung user at a middling figure, for whom either works. There the choice comes down to the sensation you prefer in the throat, firm or soft, and nothing more technical than that.

If you genuinely cannot decide, buying one shot of each and splitting a shortfill into two smaller bottles settles it in an evening. It costs a bottle and a few minutes, and it replaces a great deal of forum reading with a direct comparison on your own device.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can nic salts and freebase be mixed in one recipe?

Technically yes, and some mixers do it to balance smoothness against throat hit. It stays a job for people comfortable with the arithmetic, since two nicotine sources have to be counted together in the same sum.

### Do nic salts need different storage?

No. The precautions are identical: away from light, cool, firmly capped, well out of reach of children and pets, and gloves on when handling. Like freebase, salts oxidise and may darken over time.

### Do salt shots cost more than freebase shots?

Salt shots are often slightly dearer, though the gap is small. The difference mostly matters to people mixing frequently at higher figures on small hardware.

### Are nic salts suitable for sub ohm builds?

Rarely a good idea. On a build producing large volumes of vapour, a high salt figure becomes excessive very quickly. Freebase at a moderate figure is the more coherent match for that style.

### Does the form of nicotine change the steeping time?

Very little. Steeping is driven mainly by the flavour family and the ratio of the base. Salt or freebase, a dessert profile still benefits from being left alone for a while.

## Nic salts or freebase, what to remember

Separating **nic salts** from freebase comes down to crossing a sensation with a device: firm throat hit and sub ohm on one side, smoothness and a small pod on the other. Neither is better in the abstract, each serves a specific way of vaping.

In home mixing that decision comes before the first calculation, because it drives the figure you aim at, the base you buy and the comfort of the whole bottle. Settle it first, note it in the recipe alongside the ratio, and the rest of the mix falls into place without argument.

<em>Editorial content for adult readers only. Nicotine, in every form, is an addictive substance and vaping products are not for sale to under-18s in the United Kingdom. This article is not a buying recommendation.</em>