Zeus by Geekvape | Which DIY e-liquid for the Z coils

A sub-ohm tank turns a lot of liquid into vapour with every puff, and a badly balanced homemade mix shows up quickly. The Zeus by Geekvape is a good example, since its Z coils run anywhere between 45 and 90 W depending on the resistance. Reading the ratio printed on the base you bought is not enough. What counts is the ratio of the finished bottle, shot and flavour included, and on this tank the gap between the two often comes as a surprise.

Which homemade e-liquid suits the Zeus by Geekvape?

For the Zeus by Geekvape, a homemade liquid is mixed with freebase nicotine at 3 mg/ml or less, with a finished ratio close to 30/70 PG/VG. With a 50/50 nicotine shot and a flavour carried in propylene glycol, that takes a base richer in vegetable glycerine than 70VG, otherwise the bottle ends up at 40/60. On this site, ratios are always written PG first.

At Geekvape, the Zeus name covers a line of direct lung tanks, from the first Z Sub-Ohm to the Z Sub-Ohm Tank 5, which share the mesh coils of the Z series. All of them are built for an open draw and high wattage, which steers the recipe towards little nicotine and plenty of VG.

What Geekvape and a retailer say about the liquid

In the FAQ for its Z XM coils (Boost version), Geekvape recommends freebase e-liquid at 3 mg/ml or less and advises against nicotine salts. The same page warns that a high VG liquid is thicker, wicks more slowly and may cause faster buildup on the coil.

A review of the Zeus Subohm Tank published by a retailer recommends 30/70 liquids for its part. The two pieces of advice fit together. VG gives the dense vapour a direct lung tank is built for, while too much of it slows down how fast the wick refills.

None of the official product pages for the three versions of the Zeus by Geekvape puts a figure on the ratio. So 30/70 is a starting target, to be adjusted according to how the coil behaves, and it is the ratio of the finished bottle you are aiming for, not the one on the base.

Why a 70VG base does not give a 30/70 liquid

The nicotine shot and the concentrate bring their own carrier, and that is where the ratio of a liquid for the Zeus by Geekvape is decided. For 60 ml at 3 mg/ml, the maths rests on two assumptions, a 50/50 shot at 18 mg/ml in a 10 ml bottle, below the UK ceiling of 20 mg/ml, and a concentrate used at 10% whose label lists propylene glycol as the carrier.

The site’s formula gives the shot volume, target strength times final volume divided by the shot’s strength, so 3 × 60 ÷ 18 = 10 ml, exactly one bottle. Those 10 ml bring 5 ml of PG and 5 ml of VG. The concentrate adds 6 ml of PG, and the base fills the remaining 44 ml.

44 ml base	PG from the base	Total PG in the bottle	Finished PG/VG ratio
50/50	22 ml	33 ml	55/45
70VG (30/70)	13.2 ml	24.2 ml	about 40/60
24 ml of 70VG plus 20 ml of pure VG	7.2 ml	18.2 ml	about 30/70
Max VG (100%)	0 ml	11 ml	about 18/82

The table shows where the gap comes from. The shot and the flavour already account for 11 ml of PG, about 18% of the bottle before a drop of base goes in, so a 70VG base ends at roughly 40/60. To get back to the suggested 30/70, the base is cut with pure VG, while a max VG base pushes PG under 20%, well short of the target. The bases on sale are compared in our guide to choosing a VG/PG base.

Two worked 60 ml recipes for the Z coils

Both recipes aim for 3 mg/ml, the ceiling Geekvape suggests. They are weighed with the densities used across this site, about 1.15 g/ml for the 50/50 shot, 1.19 g/ml for a 70VG base and 1.261 g/ml for pure VG, with the concentrate measured by syringe.

A 30/70 Zeus liquid, base cut with VG

The shot takes 10 ml, or 11.5 g, the 70VG base 24 ml, or 28.56 g, and pure VG 20 ml, or 25.22 g, before the 6 ml of concentrate. Strength check, 10 ml × 18 mg/ml gives 180 mg of nicotine in 60 ml, so 3 mg/ml. Ratio check, 5 + 6 + 7.2 = 18.2 ml of PG out of 60, about 30%.

This is the recipe closest to the retailer’s advice, and a single 10 ml shot is enough to reach the strength.

A thinner 40/60 version

The shot stays at 11.5 g and the concentrate at 6 ml, while the 70VG base takes 44 ml, or 52.36 g. The strength does not move, and the finished ratio shifts to about 40/60.

This thinner mix soaks the wick faster. It is the one to try if a Z coil struggles to keep up with the first recipe despite full priming. The weighing method, workstation and labelling included, is set out in our guide to mixing DIY e-liquid by weight.

Filling and priming a Zeus tank with a homemade mix

A homemade liquid goes in like a shop-bought one. Its thickness at 70% VG mainly changes how long to wait before the first puff, and two points in Geekvape’s own documents are worth knowing.

Top filling, and a 2 ml tank in the UK

Every Zeus fills from the top, through a screw cap on the first Z Sub-Ohm and a sliding cap that stays attached on the Tank 5. The official pages list 5 ml for the first model and 5.5 ml for both the SE and the Tank 5. UK rules cap refillable tanks at 2 ml, and both the first Z Sub-Ohm and the Tank 5 are listed in a 2 ml version.

The Tank 5 user guide asks you to fill slowly and not to overfill. It also suggests a fresh coil when liquid has sat in the tank for more than two weeks and darkened, a useful marker for a homemade mix whose colour already shifts while it steeps.

Letting the wick take up a high VG mix

After fitting a new coil, Geekvape asks you to wait 3 to 5 minutes once the tank is filled. The XM coil FAQ also suggests dripping a few drops onto the cotton through the coil’s wicking holes before fitting it. With a 70% VG mix, which soaks the cotton more slowly, the top of that range is a sensible margin.

The approach is the same as for the Zenith 2 and its homemade e-liquid, with one difference. The Zeus wants more VG, where a tight-draw tank needs a thin liquid.

FAQ

These are the questions that come up when you mix the liquid for a Zeus yourself, beyond the ratio and the two recipes.

Can I mix a nicotine salt liquid for a Zeus?

Geekvape advises against it for its XM coils, while the general Z series FAQ on the same store says the coils are compatible with salts. The maths does not change, as a 50/50 salt shot affects the ratio exactly like a freebase shot, but the XM guidance points towards freebase nicotine.

How long does a Zeus coil last?

Geekvape quotes 50 to 60 ml of liquid for a Z XM coil in its Boost version, against around 30 ml on average for the previous generation, according to its page on the Tank 5. The maker adds that the figure varies with the PG/VG ratio, how often you vape and your habits.

Does a nicotine-free homemade liquid change the recipe?

Yes, the shot disappears, and its 5 ml of PG with it. For 60 ml with 6 ml of PG-carried concentrate, 54 ml of 70VG base brings 16.2 ml of PG, so 22.2 ml in total and a finished ratio of 37/63.

Should a DIY mix steep before it goes into a Zeus?

The tank sets no rule of its own. The resting time is the one the concentrate maker gives. A 70% VG mix mostly needs a good shake, because glycerine generally blends more slowly than propylene glycol.

What wattage should I set with a homemade mix?

The one for the coil fitted, as the liquid does not change the range. Geekvape’s coil guide lists 80 to 90 W for the 0.15 ohm Z coil, 70 to 80 W for the 0.2 ohm, 45 to 57 W for the 0.25 ohm Dual and 50 to 60 W for the 0.4 ohm. Starting at the bottom of the range leaves time to check that the wick keeps up.

Zeus by Geekvape, a homemade liquid worked out before you fill

For a tank designed for direct lung vaping, the target comes down to two numbers, 3 mg/ml of freebase nicotine and a finished ratio close to 30/70. The second one does not come from a 70VG base, which the shot and the flavour pull back to about 40/60, but from a base cut with pure VG.

Weighing each ingredient and writing the finished ratio on the label is how a homemade mix is matched to the Zeus by Geekvape. The same method works for any tank, as soon as you know the coil fitted and its wattage range.

From the same recipe book

Editorial guide for adult readers only. Vaping products can contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance. Vaping products are not for sale to anyone under 18 in the UK. This guide describes a mixing method and is not a buying recommendation.