If you pick up a 60ml bottle and shake it, it sometimes doesn't sound completely full, and you can visibly see an air bubble above the liquid level, even though the bottle is sealed and unopened. This isn't a factory filling error. This is called short fill, and it has a really practical reason once you know what it's about.
What a Short Fill really is
A short-fill bottle is intentionally filled with less liquid than it could hold in total and usually contains 0mg nicotine by default. The empty space is intentional, left specifically so you can add a separate nicotine shot yourself, turning a nicotine-free bottle into one with your preferred strength.
Why it even exists
Regulations in Switzerland and the EU limit how much nicotine-containing liquid can be in a single retail bottle, usually capped at 10ml for anything that already contains nicotine. Short fills circumvent this in a sensible way, rather than circumventing it messily, because the large bottle itself does not contain nicotine when sold. The nicotine is added afterwards, from a separate, smaller bottle which, by itself, is within the regulated limit.
How to actually use one
A nicotine shot is usually a small 10ml bottle with a significantly higher concentration, typically 18mg or 20mg, specifically designed to be poured into the empty space of a suitable short-fill bottle. A 10ml shot poured into a 50ml short fill, filling the bottle to its full 60ml, usually results in a strength of about 3mg after mixing. The exact final strength depends on the specific quantities involved, so it's worth checking the calculation for your specific bottle and shot combination, rather than assuming that every pairing will result in the same number.
Why people actually choose Short Fills
Short fills are usually built around more complex, layered flavor profiles than a simple 10ml nicotine bottle, and buying a larger volume this way is often cheaper per ml than buying several small nicotine bottles of the same flavor. They also provide direct control over one's final strength, rather than being limited to the strength in which a pre-mixed bottle happens to be available.
A few practical tips
Shake the bottle thoroughly after adding a nicotine shot, as both liquids need to be properly mixed rather than just lying in layers. Let it sit for a few minutes before use, and then store it the same way you would any other e-liquid, upright and away from direct light. If you're buying a short fill for the first time, it's worth checking beforehand if a suitable nicotine shot in the desired strength is available, as not every short-fill and shot combination is automatically sold together.
If you're unsure which combination will get you to your desired strength, it's better to ask before buying, as the calculation is simple once explained, but easy to get wrong on the first attempt.
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