What is the best bubble juice?
The most frequently asked question by new bubblers (and many experienced bubbleheads) is "what is the best bubble juice?" I have often asked that question myself. I used to ask it a lot more often than I do now.
QUICK ANSWER
The quick answer is that there is no "best" bubble juice. Your equipment, the type of bubbles you are trying to make, environmental conditions, and, perhaps most importantly, personal preference about what "feels" best.
Try a few. Whether you are plan to brew your own bubble juice or buy it, you will need to try a few types of bubble juice that are known to be effective to see what works best for you. If you survey bubble-afficionados, you will find a handful of recipes and commercial products that are frequently mentioned but also strong (and contradicting) opinions about what is best.
Revisit your options. No matter what you prefer today, we recommend re-evaluating every once in a whil. Your preferences may change as your equipment and experience changes. My current favorite juice was not a favorite last year. And my favorite next year might be something new or something old that simply suits me better.
Different conditions. You should repeat your bubble juice trials under a variety of conditions. If you try a few types of bubble juice on a cool, humid day the results are likely to be quite different from what you will see on a warm dry day. You may find that you like a particular juice for some conditions but another juice for other conditions. It is pretty common for people's preference to change over time.
What Bubble Juice Should I Try?
The first thing that you need to decide is whether you are going to make your bubble juice or buy it and whether you want to make giant bubble or small/medium-sized bubbles.
Non-Giant - Commercial Options
There are many commercial options for non-giant bubbles (up to two feet in diameter or so) but fewer for giant bubbles. There is a huge range of quality amongst the commercial bubble solutions--and the quality may vary from year-to-year as some brands reformulate (for better-or-worse) from time to time. Uncle Bubble Ultra Concentrate is product loved by many professional bubbleheads.
Giant Bubbles - Commercial Options
Most of the bubble juice that you will find in stores is designed for non-giant bubbles. I have seen Bubble Thing Giant Bubble Mix in a few toy stores over the years but not often. Uncle Bubble Ultra Concentrate is product loved by many professional bubbleheads. If you are looking to create giant bubbles, you will probably need to order your bubble juice (it can be ordered over the Internet) or make your own.
There are several popular commercial mixes. You may want to try a few and see what you personally like. Bubble Thing Giant Bubble Mix and the (new as of 2013) Uncle Bubble ultra bubble concentrate both have good reputations. There are also people happy with the Dip Stix giant bubble mix, Beeboo and Cricket Hill. Mention of these products should not be taken as an endorsement. You can find people's opinions about these mixes on SBF, the Soap Bubble Fanciers Yahoo Group (RIP).
Giant and Non-Giant - Homemade Options
On this web site, you will find a large number of recipes . All of these recipes have been successfully used to create giant bubbles. If you were to try them all, you would like some more than others. If you are looking for the best, you should try at least a few different recipes. Bubble Juice Basics. If you are brewing your own juice, you will probably find it worthwhile to take a look at Bubble Juice Basics.
Different Polymers. I recommend that you pick recipes that use different polymer types. Some people "bond" with PEO-based juice more than with guar or HEC-based juice. Others may prefer guar or HEC-based juice with the same equipment and same conditions.
Recommendation? Take a look at the Recipes for Getting Started section of the recipes page for some recommendations. Our guar gum-based recipe is a favorite of many because the results are great and the ingredients are generally easy to find locally. Popular PEO-based recipes are eGoo, Mike's Gooey Mix and Mike's Stir 'n Go. You will find links to the recipes on the main Recipes page. If you have HEC, many people's favorite recips is this one.
The Long Answer
Why isn't there simply a BEST juice?
One visitor wrote: "Everyone has a different definition of the BEST bubble. There is no actual BEST juice because what one person defines as the BEST bubble may not align with how another person defines the BEST bubble."