What Is A Vaporizer?

Over the last 10 years or so, the fledgling vaporizer industry has continued to grow--until it became the towering behemoth we know today. Over the last decade, vaporizers have become incredibly varied; we’ve seen gigantic medical-style rigs, all the way to vape pens that you can carry in the front pocket of your tightest jeans.

It’s easy to see why they’ve become so popular, too. After all, if you factor in the popularity of herb/concentrate smoking, it only stands to reason that there would be a huge market for something that exudes THC vapor in large, majestic clouds.

But there’s more to it than just the herbs and oils, however hard that may be to believe. People have been clamoring for a safer alternative to smoking since before they even knew it was dangerous. There is no contest when it comes to the aftereffects of smoking versus vaporizing. Your clothes don’t smell, and your lungs don’t hurt—not to mention that the long-term cost of smoking is much, much higher than using a vaporizer. You can really make your material last with a good vaporizer.

The differences between a good vaporizer and a bad one come down to things like battery life, size and the type of material you wish to vaporize. Every model is unique and the different brands all have their own backstory and expected quality. Brands like Iolite have been mainstays for a long time, while there are always new “startup” style models popping up on a regular basis. It’s worth it to take the time and read reviews and instructions (Like this one!) regarding whatever vaporizer may interest you. It’s a big world out there and the quality can vary drastically.

Finally, there are so many different models available that you just have to pick a style that matches your personality. Once you start vaporizing, you won’t want to put it down. Make sure you buy something that you won’t mind looking at every day.

Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with the generalities, it’s time to take a further look at the multiple different variations available on the market today.

Dry herbs are the most popular substance to vaporize because they are easily the most common materials available. Even if you are an expert and regular dabber of oils and concentrates, it’s likely you have some sort of method to vape dry herbs as well.

The difference between smoking and vaping dry herb is monumental, especially when it comes to price and efficiency. Although the initial costs are quite a bit more, when you factor in possible healthcare/cleaning expenses, it becomes a one-sided affair. That’s without even including the fact that, if you wanted to, you could use the already-vaped-bud (AVB) for other purposes like smoking or cooking.

The experience of vaping dry herb depends heavily on the type of vape you purchase. As mentioned above, there are many different styles available to vaporize your favorite herbs. However, every herb vape is designed to heat herbs through either convection or combustion.

This is the healthier approach to dry herbs and it relies on heating up the air around your herbs versus direct contact to a hot coil. It is a very reliable method for vaping all your material evenly and smoothly. Although individual experiences may vary, this style is known to be more flavorful and less likely to combust with misuse of temperature settings.

Convection is the more popular option (though it can be more expensive) because it is much healthier and easier to use, and it preserves the flavor and quality of your material better than conduction. It may take a little longer, but if you’re the type to savor your herbs this is the right choice.

This style is all about speed and is really just a convenient, techy way to smoke. If you want a vaporizer that heats your material up within a few seconds, a combustion vape is the right choice. Instead of heating the air around the herbs, the herbs are heated by direct contact with a hot coil. This direct heat will create smoke instead of vapor and turn the herbs to ash.

These vape are not as popular as the healthier, convection style, but when you are skiing down a mountain in cold, wet conditions, pressing a power button to smoke is a lot easier than using a lighter.

With dry herb vaporizers, temperature control is very important. You must be able to keep an eye on the heating of your materials in order to have the best possible experience. Because of this, many dry herb vaporizers are built with very precise temperature controls and informative LED screens that help you keep an eye on what’s going on inside the vaporizer.

Most dry herb vaporizers are easy to use. Requiring only a small amount of cleaning and preparation to use when compared to traditional dry herb smoking. Typically, you just need to grind your material finely using a grinder and insert that into the device. Then, you just wait for it to heat up! Afterwards, you can do what you will with the vaped material and you must simply brush away any remaining dust.

If you’ve ever dabbed, you’ve likely had a close call with a butane torch. In general, being the owner of a butane torch is not the most comfortable situation to be in. That’s why, as the popularity of dabs have increased over time, wax concentrate vaporizers have grown with it.

These little devices are usually quite powerful, as it takes a much higher temperature to vaporize wax and concentrates. They work in much the same way, however. A wax vape will heat up a coil that comes in contact with your material and produces vapor that the user must suck out of the device.

Interestingly, for devices that require the most power and heat, vape pens usually don’t have much in the way of temperature control. That’s because they operate at those high temperatures and because waxes and oils are made in such a way that they vaporize easier. What this means for you is that there is not going to be as much emphasis on LED screens and the like to keep an eye on your material—it is a very streamlined process.

However, there has recently been an uptick in the desire for more control over wax vapor. There are many who enjoy the taste of wax and, if you work your temperature correctly, you can get better flavor. Vaporizers like the Saber Vape are perfect for this kind of experience. The Saber also has an auto-heat function that simmers the wax at low levels for a super tasty puff.

Oils are also a great option for vaporizing, thanks to the convenience of 510 cartridges. These little guys are great for the vaper on-the-go because they can be pre-filled with your oil so that all you really need is a battery to power it. That means cannabis oil vapes can be fairly cheap, effective and versatile. The “510” refers to the threading of the connection between your pre-filled atomizer and the vape battery that you have set up - some of them don’t even come with a button! Now that’s a barebones, bespoke experience.

Even more interesting is the development of box mods for these pre-filled atomizers. These mods are just like the ones popularized by those who vape e-juice. If you already own one for e-juice, you can use the same box mod for cannabis oils.

This is a great new development because box mods can usually be manipulated by 0.1 watts, meaning you have very precise control over your oil vapor. You can now fool your friends, family, and coworkers into thinking you are just vaping e liquid like everyone else.

The first thing you need to do once you start your decision-making process is figure out what kind of material you expect to be vaping. If you are in an area that can’t reliable get wax or oil, it’s probably a bad idea to invest in a product that only vapes concentrates. However, there are now many devices that can vape both, so if you do your research, you may not have to choose between dry herbs and oils.

Either way, once you’ve made that decision, it’s up to you to decide what kind of device you would like. The more features that are packed in (LED screens, temperature controls, battery size) the more expensive the product is likely to be. It’s a good idea to go into the situation with a designated price point and try to find the best device for your budget.

No matter if you smoke nicotine or cannabis or both, it’s likely that switching to vaping can be a beneficial move for your health and your wallet. There are always going to be advantages and disadvantages to either side of the argument but there’s little argument that vaping cannabis is healthier than smoking it. Say what you will about the long-term effects of e-juice, cannabis has been studied extensively and THC in vapor form is practically harmless—and possibly even beneficial.

Either way, it’s much easier to be discreet when you vaporize your materials. Most of the time the only thing emitted by your vaporizer is a faint cloud of vaporized material and the smell of burnt popcorn. Try it for yourself! And remember: NyVapeShop.com will always have the best, most reliable products for you to try, no matter your persuasion.