People have been smoking tobacco and marijuana for thousands of years, but present trends see them reaching more and more for their vapes. Joints, bowls, and bongs will undoubtedly always have a presence in the market, but the popularity of vaping marijuana is on the rise, potentially due to the fact that it is reported to be safer than smoking. If you’re considering vaping for the first time, then you’ve probably asked yourself the million dollar question, “How do vape pens work?”. Well, let’s take a look…
Why Vape?
There are a couple of reasons why vaping has become so popular. Firstly, the effects from inhaling cannabis are felt faster, and product bioavailability is higher, than all other forms of consumption. As the vapor enters your lungs it’s absorbed directly into your bloodstream, reaching your nervous system within seconds. Secondly, people who vape are always talking about how enjoyable it is. It’s fun to vape and the negative side-effects associated with smoking – the build up of tar in your lungs, blackened teeth, ruined taste buds, cancer concerns – are avoided.
How Does a Vaporizer Work?
Cannabis vaporizers work very much in the same way that nicotine vaporizers work. The active compounds in your vaping material (whether it be dry herb, oil, or wax) are heated just enough to be aerosolized, without starting a combustion reaction. Vapes use an electrical current to keep dry herb, oil, or wax at a controlled temperature between 365 and 410 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures turn the cannabinoids, terpenes, and other plant matter, into vapor which can then be inhaled. There’s a range of vaping devices available on the market but vape pens, modelled on the e-cigarette, tend to be the most popular as they are discreet and portable.
Vaping Dry Herb
When vaping dry herb, users often prefer vaporizers that use convection heating. These devices heat the herb evenly with hot air, giving a fuller flavor and a stronger kick. Vape pens for dry herb using conduction heating are available, but there’s always a small risk that your herb will burn on the heating element. Despite the possible issues of overheating, many people choose to vape dry herb using a vape pen, because pens tend to be more price accessible and often heat up faster than other vape models.
Vaping dry herb provides a similar experience to smoking a joint or bowl. Much more than when vaping oil. This is because dry herb vaping offers the chance to inhale the full cannabinoid mix, along with all the natural plant terpenes, with every breath. Many people prefer to vape dry herb in order to experience the bud’s full aroma and taste. Some dry herb vaporizers are built for vaping wax and hash too. However, it’s important to note that it’s recommended you bury a small amount of the wax or hash in the middle of your dry herb. This precautionary step helps to keep the inside of your device as clean as possible.
Vaping Oil or Concentrates
Some vape pens are manufactured for vaping oil or concentrates. These types of pens usually use conduction heating to vaporize whatever product is placed in the heating chamber or cartridge. Some vape manufacturers provide single-use “starter” packages. Others have developed refillable models.
Vape pens for oils and concentrates are enjoyed by both medical and recreational users. This is because the option exists to vape isolates. Isolates are extremely potent oils and concentrates that offer high levels of THC or CBD. They are far more potent than dry herb. Even so, it’s important to highlight that these potent levels comes at a cost. Many of the additional cannabinoids and terpenes are lost in the extraction process of isolates. If you want to enjoy the cannabis plant’s full spectrum of effect and flavor, then it’s important to look for vaping oils made from whole plant extract.
How Do Vape Mods Work?
Vape mods come in just as many shapes and sizes as vape pens, but the vape mod is equipped with enhanced features (or modifications). These include a larger battery, so that you don’t have to charge your vape as often, a more powerful heating unit, so that you can heat your vaping material more quickly and efficiently, and a larger cartridge capacity, so that you can vape more and for longer. Vape mods are often the preferred choice for the vaping connoisseur.
Vaping is Viral!
Once you understand how vape pens work, and the differences between vaping and smoking, it’s easy to see why vaping is considered to be a much healthier alternative to smoking cannabis. What’s more, when vaping, it’s possible to heat cannabis to an exact temperature, which then releases valuable cannabinoids and improves the overall cannabis experience. Vape pens are literally going viral as cannabis users around the world recognize the convenience, discretion, and favorable safety profile that they offer.
Are you over 18?