For many cannabis consumers, a bong or pipe is the traditional method of smoking bud. However, the modern market is awash with new methods of cannabis consumption that may be even more satisfying than their time-honored predecessors. Vaporizers, for example, offer a simple and mess-free way to dose almost anywhere and come in a variety of forms to suit every taste and purpose. Here’s everything you need to know about a flower vaporizer before you begin your online shopping search.
What is a Vaporizer?
A cannabis vaporizer is an alternative to traditional pipes, bongs, and other paraphernalia, using electricity to “vaporize” cannabis or cannabis extract and produce rich, potent smoke. Among the milieu of products available, dry herb or “flower” vaporizers are distinct from concentrate vaporizers. With the former, smoke is drawn directly from cannabis which is packed into the vaporizer, just as one would do with a pipe. The latter, concentrate vaporizers, employ powerful cannabis extracts in order to achieve mind-bending results.
Choosing a Flower Vaporizer: Heat
One of the more important things to keep in mind before selecting a vaporizer to purchase is the level of heat the vaporizer generates. Whether it is a flower vaporizer or a concentrate vaporizer, its ability to superheat your cannabis product will be vital in determining the amount of smoke you inhale with each draw.
Most vaporizers feature a detailed overview of their specifications somewhere on their product page when purchasing online. For retail purchases, the information should be available on the packaging. Typically, 10 watts is fine for beginner cannabis consumers, but experienced consumers may wish to use vaporizers that offer 50 or 100-watt settings. Your ideal vaporizer will allow you to adjust as you please.
Choosing a Vaporizer: Battery Life
To that end, battery life can be a make or break quality for any vaporizer. While it’s difficult to say how long some vaporizers will last over others, product reviews can go a long way towards informing oneself on the merits of each item.
Likewise, some vaporizers are powered by batteries, while most will employ some type of charger to power them up. While powering your vaporizer may seem like a small detail, one of the worst experiences can be purchasing new flower or concentrates to vape and lacking enough of a charge to actually draw your smoke.
Choosing a Vaporizer: Dry Herb vs Concentrate
When selecting a vaporizer to purchase, there are merits to choosing dry herb and concentrate variants alike. Flower vaporizers will work with any cannabis flower, as well as non-cannabis herbs, making them ideal selections for those in search of a versatile solution to their dosing needs. On the other hand, concentrate vaporizers offer an entirely different experience, with the potency of the smoke they generate being unmatched. Some individuals prefer concentrate vaporizers because of their pure flavor which captures the essence of the cannabis strains used in concentrate concoction.
Your vaporizer should match your own individual tastes, but the major distinction between flower and concentrate vaporizers is the type of products you’ll be buying. Concentrate vaporizers actually have an entire industry worth of unique cartridges that distill virtually every strain of cannabis into terpene-rich liquid. Ultimately, only experience with each product will inform your preferences.
You can get buds to test your dry herb vaporizer at our Des Moines dispensary or our Seattle dispensary. Prefer concentrates or vape carts? We have those too!
