Shopping for vapes can be confusing! It’s an unfortunate reality. But don’t let that discourage you. Especially if you’re on a mission to ...
Shopping for vapes can be confusing! It’s an unfortunate reality. But don’t let that discourage you. Especially if you’re on a mission to quit smoking! The first thing to understand is that there are two main categories of vapes.
- Nicotine vapes: handheld devices powered by lithium-ion batteries designed to mimic the sensation of smoking without combustion. Nicotine options are customizable from 0% up to 5%, with flavors ranging from tobacco to desserts to unflavored.
- Cannabis/CBD vapes: portable battery-powered or larger desktop devices powered either by batteries or electrical power supplies that heat the material. These devices are used with CBD, THC, or other botanicals, from dry herb to concentrates.
There are other substances that people vape. Like various herbs and vitamins; some daring souls choose to even vaporize coffee. Many of those products and activities are on the fringes, but the devices used are no different from nicotine or cannabis vapes—they’re just different substances that happen to “work” in the devices. There’s even some overlapping between cannabis and nicotine vapes, like the classic vape pen which functions in both realms. Which may explain why it’s the most popular type of vape in existence.
Nicotine vapes
While all nicotine vapes can be called “e-cigarettes”, that term is most commonly used for small devices that look similar to a cigarette in size and shape. But nicotine vapes don’t stop there.
E-cigarettes
These are the smallest and simplest vapes you’ll find. Open the pack and they’re ready for immediate use. Once you’re finished, you dispose of the device and use another. These are ideal devices for travel or for the busiest among us without the time to tinker with little gadgets. E-cigarettes work great with high nicotine in providing a satisfying hit, which makes them work well for smokers looking for a quick entry into vaping.
- + Small and convenient
- + Perfect for stealth vaping
- + Discreet
- + Affordable
- + Easy to use
- - Single-use increases waste
- - Flavor output is average
- - No refilling
Pod vapes
Pod vapes are some of the most practical vaping devices available. A pod vape is usually a two-piece device, similar to an e-cigarette, with one piece being the battery and the other a replaceable and often refillable pod. Pod vapes are usually affordable and very easy to use while performing at a higher level than most traditional e-cigarettes. They are also a perfect fit for nicotine salt e-liquid, making them a very efficient vape for nicotine delivery.
- + Very easy to operate
- + Practical form factor
- + Refillable or replaceable pods
- + Button or draw-activated
- + Ideal for stealth vaping
- - Quality and performance can vary greatly between devices
- - Low vapor
- - Frequent recharging of batteries
Box mods
Box mod kits are larger and more powerful vapes. The extra size usually means better performance and longer battery life, usually in the form of external vape batteries. Most box mods come with settings and features such as variable wattage or even temperature control. The included tanks can be mouth to lung clearomizers or direct lung sub ohm tanks.
The most common configuration for a box mod starter kit would be a single-battery mod with variable wattage and temperature control capabilities, paired with a mid-range sub ohm tank.
- + Many options to choose from
- + Higher performance
- + Long-running internal or external batteries
- + Can be used with other tanks
- - Complicated
- - Too advanced for novices
- - Expensive
- - Not very pocket-friendly
Regulated squonk starter kits
These are the most advanced vapes of this list. Technically a sub-category of box mod starter kits, squonk setups have become so popular during the last couple of years that are worthy of their own category. Squonkers provide a practical method for feeding your atomizer with e-liquid. A typical regulated squonk setup bundles a squonk capable box mod and a bottom-fed RDA. The mod houses a squeezable bottle that is connected with the atomizer deck through a shallow 510, practically functioning as an external tank section.
Due to the bottle occupying the space where a battery would have been placed, a single battery squonk mod will have roughly the same size with a dual-battery box mod. As a result, most squonk kits come in single battery configuration, but dual-battery squonkers are available for those who don’t mind the extra bulk
- + Very high-performing devices
- + RDAs can be built to one’s needs
- + No need to drip
- + Increases liquid capacity
- + Turn non-tanks basically into tanks (extra liquid storage)
- + Freshly soaked wicks offer fresh flavor
- - Complex; not for beginners
- - Small parts to keep up with and maintain
- - Required cleaning to ensure clean flavor performance
Cannabis and CBD vapes
These vaporizers come in various forms. Similar to smoking accessories like bongs, bubblers, bowls, and dab rigs, cannabis and CBD vapes are plentiful. Still, when it comes down to it, there are two main types: desktops and portables. Portables can be small to hardly pocketable but still portable, with desktops needing to be parked at your session station.
Desktop vaporizers are typically the most efficient option for dry herb and wax, but if you’re on the go, there are solid portable and pen-style vapes that provide vaporization with all the benefits of the substance and none of the issues of smoke, either obnoxious odors or negative health effects from inhaling smoke.
CBD vape pens
A refillable CBD vape pen is any type of vape pen that can be filled with CBD e-juice. It usually has a tank that attaches to a rechargeable 510 thread battery. They provide a simple convenient pen-style form factor and are generally smaller and lighter than the average mod and tank combo. Some of them are suitable for direct-lung vaping while others provide a tight mouth to lung draw.
- + Small and convenient
- + Perfect for stealth medicating
- + Better bioavailability than tinctures
- + Discreet
- + Affordable
- - Low power
- - Single-use
- - Low vapor
Weed and THC oil pens
A weed pen, or THC oil pen, is a relatively simple two-part electronic device used to vaporize THC/CBD oil or distillate. An evolution of early vape pens, weed vape pens are most often shaped like writing pens—hence the name. Every weed pen houses a small battery that heats your oil in an atomizer cartridge containing a wick and a heating coil. This heating process turns concentrates into vapor.
- + Small and convenient
- + Personal use for small sessions
- + Perfect for stealth medicating or for recreational use
- + Discreet
- + Versatile
- + Low odor
- + Easy to use
- - Small batteries need more frequent charges
- - Lacking power
- - Required cleaning
- - Not very advanced but prices can be a bit high
Portable cannabis vaporizers
Portable dry herb vaporizers are small personal devices designed for vaporizing marijuana or legal high-CBD strains. They have an internal oven that heats up cannabis at precise temperatures to produce vapor.
- + Small and convenient
- + Personal use for small sessions with others
- + Perfect for stealth medicating or for recreational use
- + Discreet
- + Versatile
- + Low odor
- + Easy to use
- - Need to recharge battery
- - Typically have several parts to keep up with
- - Required cleaning
Desktop vaporizers
Some of the first vaporizers belong in this category. These devices are the powerhouse of all vapes. They work most often with convection heating, meaning hot air, that thoroughly and efficiently extracts all the cannabinoids like THC and CBD from the flower. Desktops can be the most intense vapes, but they can also be dialed down to the most comfortable temperature the user wants. These vapes are self-contained heaters that bake dry herb at specific temperatures to produce vapor. The vapor is then inhaled using a tube called a whip, or using traditional vaporizer bags popularized by the most famous vaporizer: the Storz and Bickel Volcano.
What type of a vape should you buy?
This is a common question but rarely can it be answered for you. It will always be a personal choice. Most important are your needs, your budget, and your willingness to tinker with electronics. Furthermore, though it may seem shallow, you should really consider the look and size of the device. If a big bulky device doesn’t fit in your lifestyle, you can effectively rule out half of your options. Of course, the same is true if your budget isn’t limited or you aren’t concerned with pocketability.
Bottom line: if you’re interested in vaping as an alternative to smoking, there’s a better chance than not there’s a perfect device for you! Hopefully, this guide brought you a few steps closer to finding it.
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