This is the first decision you have to make, and it depends entirely on your device:
Nicotine Salts (Salt Nic)
For pod systems with 1.0Ω+ coils. Smooth throat hit even at high nicotine. Available in 10–50mg. Best for switching smokers and MTL vaping. All 6 brands above are salt nic.
Freebase Nicotine
For sub-ohm devices (0.5Ω or lower). Harsher throat hit at lower nicotine. Available in 0–12mg. Best for cloud production and flavor chasing with high-VG juice.
Hybrid / Bar Salts
A newer category blending salt and freebase. Claims to deliver nic-salt smoothness with freebase flavor clarity. Hit-or-miss in our testing.
Rule of thumb: If you're using a pod system like the Vaporesso XROS or Uwell Caliburn (which we reviewed in our Best Refillable Pod Vapes guide), you want nicotine salts at 20–35mg. If you're using a sub-ohm mod, you want freebase at 3–6mg with a 70/30 VG/PG ratio.
