Short Fill E-Liquid: What It Is and How to Use It

When you browse the selection of vape juice here at Simply ELiquid, you’re going to see a new type of product that might be unfamiliar to you. That product is short fill e-liquid, and it’s made it possible for vapers to buy vape juice in large bottles without violating the regulations set forth in the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). If you’re tired of going through massive numbers of 10 ml bottles every week, short fill e-liquid makes vaping more convenient by allowing you to buy your vape juice in larger bottles instead. Reading this article, you’re going to learn how it works.

What Is Short Fill E-Liquid?

Short fill vape juice is a large bottle of e-liquid that’s sold without nicotine and isn’t quite filled to the top. Since a short fill bottle contains no nicotine, you’ll add the nicotine yourself after buying the e-liquid. The most common sizes are 50 ml and 100 ml short fill bottles. The nicotine is sold separately in the form of nicotine shots. Nic shots consist of flavourless e-liquid with nicotine. They’re sold in 10 ml bottles. Nic shots may use either freebase nicotine or nic salts. Because they’re 10 ml in size and typically have a nicotine strength of 18 mg/ml, they comply with the restrictions set forth in the TPD. Before using short fill e-liquid, you’ll add one or two nicotine shots to the bottle depending on the bottle’s size.

Why Were Short Fill E-Liquids Invented?

Short fill e-liquid was invented by the vaping industry in response to changing consumer demands. As you’re likely aware, TPD regulations specify that any e-liquid containing nicotine must be sold in bottles no larger than 10 ml.

The problem with that rule, however, is that it was put in place during a time in which people typically used lower-power electronic cigarettes and preferred much higher nicotine strengths than they do today. The fact that you could only buy e-liquid in 10 ml bottles didn’t matter if your usual nicotine strength was 18 mg/ml, and you only used a bottle or two per week.

If you use a sub-ohm vape kit, though, your usual nicotine strength is probably 3 mg/ml – and in that case, it’s possible that you use more than 10 ml of vape juice in a single day. That makes the bottle size limitation very inconvenient because you could easily end up going through a dozen or more of those tiny bottles every week.

Short fill e-liquid was invented as a more convenient way for people to buy vape juice if they use powerful vaping equipment and go through a large volume of vape juice each day. If you buy your e-liquid in short fill bottles, you can carry a single large bottle of e-liquid with you as you go about your daily business instead of carrying several tiny bottles. If you’re the type of vaper who needs to refill your tank several times every day, you’re going to enjoy being able to buy your e-liquid in big bottles.

How to Buy Nicotine Shots for Short Fill E-Liquid

When you buy short fill e-liquid, the most important thing is to make sure that you have the correct number of nicotine shots.

• 50 ml short fill e-liquid comes in 60 ml bottle with 10 ml of empty space for one nicotine shot.
• 100 ml short fill e-liquid comes in a 120 ml bottle with 20 ml of empty space for two nicotine shots.

The most common nicotine strength for nicotine shots is 18 mg/ml. If you add one nicotine shot to a 50 ml short fill bottle or two nicotine shots to a 120 ml short fill bottle, the e-liquid will have a resulting nicotine strength of 3 mg/ml. You can also find nicotine shots with strengths of 15 mg/ml and 20 mg/ml, which will give the short fill e-liquid a slightly lower or higher nicotine strength.

How Do You Mix a Short Fill E-Liquid?

To mix a short fill e-liquid, follow these steps.

• Open the short fill bottle and pry off the nozzle. In most cases, you can remove the nozzle simply by placing your fingernail under the edge of the nozzle and lifting up. If you have difficulty removing the nozzle, you can prise it with a butter knife.
• Add an entire nicotine shot to the short fill bottle. If you’re using a 100 ml short fill bottle, add two nicotine shots. The short fill bottle should now be full.
• Replace the bottle’s nozzle and screw the cap on tightly. Shake the bottle vigorously for several seconds before filling your vape tank.

Who Should Use Short Fill E-Liquid?

Short fill e-liquid would be ideal for you if you use a powerful sub-ohm vaping device and are tired of going through a mountain of tiny vape juice bottles every week. The TPD bottle size limitation of 10 ml is extremely inconvenient for people who use high-end vaping hardware, and if you’re tired of that limitation, short fill e-liquid is exactly what you want. You can finally leave the house with just one bottle of vape juice without being afraid that you’ll run out in the middle of the day.

Does Short Fill E-Liquid Have Any Drawbacks?

Although short fill e-liquid has proven extremely popular with UK vapers, we also have an ample supply of 10 ml bottles here at Simply ELiquid because many people still prefer the smaller bottle size. You might prefer smaller bottles, for instance, if you have arthritis or otherwise find it difficult to remove the tight nozzles of short fill bottles.

Another potential drawback of short fill e-liquid is the fact that shaking a bottle manually doesn’t mix the e-liquid as efficiently as an industrial mixing machine can. When you buy e-liquid with the nicotine already added, that e-liquid is mixed so thoroughly that the ingredients have no possibility of ever separating. When you use short fill e-liquid, on the other hand, it’s wise to shake the bottle every time you fill your tank because some separation may occur.

The final concern with short fill e-liquid is that some manufacturers’ e-liquids may not taste exactly the same in short fill form as they do in pre-mixed 10 ml bottles. That’s because you’re diluting the e-liquid when you add a nicotine shot. However, the best vape juice makers compensate for that by giving their short fill e-liquids slightly higher flavour concentrations.