Mary’s guide: Your new best friends, portable dry herb vaporizers
Every day more and more people want to make a change. Whether you just want to up-level your wellness game, or trying to quit smoking, picking up a vaporizer can be a good option for you.
But hey guys, I know…. Starting can be intimidating, just like everything in life that is new to us. Well, dry herb vaporizing is not rocket science, but it does require some knowledge. I put this little guide together to help you get started, and to just be able to choose from the many vaporizers on the market.
What is a dry herb vaporizer?
Dry herb vaporizers, loose-leaf, or weed vaporizers are all the same thing. They are electronic devices, that heat up the substance to the point where the active compounds and natural ingredients turn into vapor. We use the cannabis plant or other herbs in their most natural form, without any added chemicals.
How vaporizing is different than smoking?
Vapor requires a way lower temperature than smoking. Vaping devices have the highest temperature around 445°F, while the combusted substance during smoking can reach 1652 °F. When you are combusting there are byproducts produced such as chemical ingredients or carcinogens, that can be extremely harmful. When you vaporize, you won’t get to the burning point, and you are just inhaling vapor instead of smoke. Vapor is infused with natural compounds, that have plenty of health benefits. Also, the vapor is way easier on your lungs, even top athletes vaporize without compromising their performance. If you feel like reading more about how vaporizing affects your health click here.
The different kind of vaporizers
There are 2 main groups that we can talk about. There are dry herb and liquid or concentrate vaporizers.
From dry herb vapes, we differentiate portable and desktop vaporizers. Desktop vapes are big ones with high efficiency and great performance, but they need to be connected to the main power, so you only can use them at the comfort of your home.
Portable dry herb vapes can be battery or butane-powered. Vapes without batteries are usually called pipes. They can deliver a great vapor, however, they also can be a bit of a hustle. You need a string torch lighter and you need to hold the end of the pipe into the open fire to get it hot enough to produce vapor, When you are just starting you might don’t want to deal with that. So battery-powered vape can be great on the go. They come in all kinds of sizes and shapes, they are cool, technologically advanced devices.
Vape pens are simpler devices than dry herb vapes. Usually, they have 1- 3 temperature settings. They can be small and portable since the coil inside, that delivers the heat is tiny and powerful. E-juices or e-liquids have a purpose to deliver a concentrated amount of nicotine, CBD, or THC. E–liquids can come in a lot of different strengths and flavors.
How does a dry herb vaporizer work?
Conduction or Convection heating: Dry herb vapes work with 2 heating methods. Pure convection vaporizers use hot air, that circulates around your herb, gradually and evenly heating it until the cannabinoids evaporate. In a conduction vape the herb directly in contact with the wall of the chamber and releases cannabinoids when it reaches the right temperature. Conduction heating can easily cause combustion and burn your substance if you set the temperature too high.
Session or on-demand vaporizers: Session vapes usually have a preset session time. During this time the vaporizer reaches the required temperature and keeps that temp until it shots off. You want to take as many draws as you can since the herb won’t stop cooking until the vaporizer shots off. One load of the chamber is enough for one session. During on-demand mode you press a button until the herb reaches the right temp, you take a draw, and the device cools back down. Between draws, it doesn’t cook the herb. That allows you to use one load of chamber throughout an extended period of time. On-demand vapes are designed to heat up or cool down quickly.
Using your vaporizer: You can pack your nicely ground herb in the chamber. Close the vape and turn it on. Start your session at a lower temperature. Marijuana vaporizes the best at 338°F – 410°F (170°C and 210°C). Once the device reaches the right temp, you inhale deeply and slowly. People believe that starting at a lower temp allows you the experience the full flavor of the herb. The best dry herb vapes produce a nice vapor cloud but don’t expect something similar, that you would see from a vape pen. It also hits lighter than cigarette smoke. With one load you usually able to take 5-10 hits before the dry herb is evenly cooked and ready to be replaced.
How to choose a vaporizer?
When you are trying to buy the best vaporizer for your needs, there are certain things you might want to consider.
Price range: Dry herb vaporizer price range can be between $60 and $300-$400. You can find budget vapes but keep it in mind, low price sometimes goes hand in hand with low quality. You don’t want low quality, mostly because when a vape heats up, low-grade material, such as plastic can release toxins. You don’t need to go for the most expensive one either. When you first starting it’s good to pick something in the mid-range, and the more you are using it the more you will know about needs. Then later you can still upgrade. Aim for something that is made of quality material and has an okay price.
How often do you want to use it: You might want to vape only a couple of times a week or occasionally. Or maybe you are replacing cigarettes and you vape several times a day. These are important because different vapes are saved differently, they have different battery life, they weigh different. Obviously, if you use it often on the go you want something lightweight, discreet, easy to use. If you just hit it once in a while at home you can be less specific about the specs mentioned above.
Where do you want to use it: This kinda goes with some things mentioned above. Using it on the go means you need something, quick, easy, and desecrate, that might slips right into your pocket. Using it mostly just home will allow you to compromise with size.
FAQ
Why are dry herb vaporizers so expensive?
Vaporizers are using advanced technology. They need to be built from quality materials that are not going to deflate byproducts during heating. So sometimes you need to pay the price for the quality. You can also save money in the long run, since you need little substance to get the same results, that you would get from smoking.
Do dry herb vaporizers smell?
Vapor doesn’t stick your clothes and hands like cigarette smoke would do. However, if you vaporize the cannabis plant, you can smell the herb from your vaporizer. You can fix that though with a smell proof case. Another tip: If you worry about the after-smell of vape just toss a gum into your mouth and you are good to go.
Are dry herb vaporizers healthy?
There are several opinions on if it is healthy or not, but the fact is if you don’t combust, you won’t get the nasty chemicals, that you would get from smoking. Dry herb vapor is also infused with active, natural compounds and cannabinoids. Just make sure you get your herb from a reliable source.
Does It Feel Different Using A Dry Herb Vaporizer Compared To Smoking?
Yes, it does. With smoking, you get a harsher taste, visible smoke, and the burnt scent tends to linger and stick to your fingers, clothes, etc. Vaping on a lower temp, you don’t combust your herb, just releasing cannabinoids, terpenes, natural oils. These are more flavorful and smell way less. Vapor is also not as visible as smoke.
How do you know when you have used all the dry herbs in a bowl?
The herb is done when it starts to taste like burnt popcorn. You should also be able to see that the fresh, green material turned into a light brown, evenly cooked substance. If it is too dark, with a harsh smell, you have probably overdone it.
What’s the best way to clean a dry herb vaporizer?
Good quality dry herb vaporizers usually have removable pieces. A grade material, like ceramic, and steel can be soaked into rubbing alcohol. Soak the removable parts for 30 minutes to an hour, then remove them and let them completely air-dry. If your vaporizer has non-removable parts use a cotton swab. Dip it into rubbing alcohol then gently rub the pieces until they are clean. Let the alcohol evaporate and you are done.
I hope I could provide you with some useful information, that will make it easier for you to pick your new portable dry herb vaporizer.
