Vaporizers 101

What is a Vaporizer?

A vaporizer is any device which heats dried herbs to a temperature high enough to release active chemicals but does not burn the herbs. Since burning of the herbs does not occur, there is no smoke produced. Therefore, none of the harmful components of smoke such as tar, benzene, toluene, naftalene, nitric oxide, or carbon monoxide are present. 

History

Vaping has been used for the extraction and inhalation of aromatic vapors for centuries, but the method has been increasing greatly in popularity since the early 90's, when several companies began manufacturing commercial vaporizers.

What can be used in a vaporizer?

Vaporizers can be used with all sorts of legal herbs, including tobacco, damiana, wild dagga, lavender and blue lotus.

Types of Vaporizers

Vaporizers use one of two methods of heating plant material: convection or conduction. 

Convection occurs when hot air is forced through the herbs. Convection is usually achieved through the use of a hallogen bulb, ceramic heating element, or aluminum heating element. Heat guns were once popular also, but they have fallen out of use because they are made for industrial use rather than inhalation, and can impart chemicals from the plastics, rubbers and metals used in the gun. 

Conduction occurs when the herbs are placed on a heated metal plate. Conduction is rarely used in modern vapes because of the potential for scorching herbs.

There are 4 basic categories of convection vaporizers:

• Accessories to be used with a water pipe:
  There are many attachments made for water pipes which allow you to vape your herbs, and the vapor is then filtered through your water pipe.
• Portable Glass Vapes:
  These vapes are great in that they are portable, but require a torch lighter and are more fragile and harder to clean that other types of vapes.
• Portable Electric Vapes:
  These vapes require charging or batteries, or sometimes run on butane gas.
• Electric Vapes:
  Most vaporizers fall under this category. They must be plugged into the wall. Electric vapes can be forced air (to be used with a balloon, or hose) or inhalation powered (used with a hose).

Why Use A Vaporizer?

• To quit smoking cigarettes: It is easier to stop 'smoking' than to stop using tobacco all together. Vaping is a much healthier way to ingest nicotine as you wean yourself off of it.
• Efficiency: the high, uncontrolled combustion temperatures which occur while smoking destroy many of the active compounds in your herbs. This means you have to smoke more of your herbs to produce the same effects when compared with vaping.
• Health: Smoke irritates the mouth, throat, and lungs and contains many harmful components which can cause cancer and other diseases. Vaping eliminates these issues.
• Cleaning: Devices used to vape are much easier to clean than devices used to smoke. Smoking produces a lot of tar and resin which gunk up your pipe. Vaping is a much cleaner process.
• Smell: Vaping does not produce any smoke to smell up your house. It doesn't produce much of an odor at all! The whole process is much more discreet than smoking.

Vaporizing Tips

• You get what you pay for: While any vaping is healthier than smoking, a higher quality vape definitely gives you a higher quality vapor. Cheaper vapes can burn herbs, or not get hot enough to release all of the chemicals. High quality vapes have been shown to produce less harmful components and more of the desired active chemicals than cheaper vapes. Plus, spending more money on your vape should be considered a good investment - a higher quality vape will last a lot longer than a cheaper one!
• Grind, grind, grind!! Use an herb grinder to process your herbs before you vape them. This results in more surface area for the hot air to pass over, meaning more active chemicals in your vapor.
• Hose-style vape over balloon-style vape: If you use a balloon-style vape, the vapor must be inhaled relatively quickly, or the active chemicals will settle onto the plastic of the bag. There is also some concern of bacteria buildup within bags if they are not replaced often. With a hose system, you are always getting fresh vapor. Inhalation-powered hose systems are preferable over forced-air hose systems, as they are less wasteful.
• Holding the Vapor: Hold the vapor in your lungs for as long as is comfortable. The longer you can hold it, the more desirable compounds your will ingest.

Coming soon:

• Step by step directions on how to use a vaporizer
• Reviews of common vapes, including our top 3 choices.