PG vs VG e-Liquid: What is the difference?
May 14, 2018Often while shopping for e-liquid you'll notice a ratio of PG and VG. Those two abbreviations stand for propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin. Basically, what you'll find is PG is a thinner liquid that provides more flavor and higher throat hit (tickle in the back of your throat, also impacted by e-liquid nicotine level). VG is thicker and provides larger vapor clouds and a more gentle throat hit.
These ratios of VG to PG usually go from 50% each to 70% VG / 30% PG, to 80% VG / 20% PG, to 100% VG. Most e-liquids come in at the 70% VG level. Naturally, the higher the VG, the thicker the liquid will be.
Aside from the above, most importantly you need to consider what type of atomizer you are using when deciding on high PG vs high VG e-liquids. If you are dripping, you can use just about any ratio of VG to PG. If you are using a tank, you'll find the liquids that are higher in VG might not feed as well into your atomizer because of its thickness. One way to help with that is to close the air holes down a bit, which will draw more e-liquid into the cotton when you inhale.
If you're into large clouds (known as cloud chasing), you'll definitely want to go with high VG e-liquid, preferably in a dripping atomizer with an exotic low-resistance coil setup. (We have lots of these.) Make sure your mod can handle low resistances or you may find your coil will not fire, maybe giving you a "short" reading.
We find the best performing VG to PG ratio is typically 80/20. You'll be safe with that ratio in just about any device without sacrificing any flavor. One of our most popular e-juices, Blue Dragon, comes in both 70/30 and Max VG versions. They're both excellent. Use the Max VG one in your dripping setup and you'll be amazed at the flavor and clouds.
Whether you should use high or low VG e-liquids depends on your preference and your setup. The best strategy is to find flavors you love, then buy small bottles of either to see which VG PG ratio works best for you.