I decided to buy a vaporizer but there are soooooo many to choose from and they can be very expensive. I'd prefer a smaller, portable, not expensive vaporizer. I know my community can easily guide me on this one. Thanks
Hi Dagmar,
INTRO:
First let me say that I switched from smoking to vaporizers several years ago for the health benefits and although I do still miss the initial feeling of smoking the health benefits stop me from smoking regularly. I do still have the odd smoke here or there but I stick to the vaporizer 90% of the time.
PREFACE:
There are two types of vaporizer heating methods, conduction and convection, although some vaporizers offer a hybrid of the two. Nowadays the difference between the two is minimal, there are devices from both camps that are highly efficient (pun intended), full of flavour and produce dense vapour.
- Conduction acts like an oven and cooks the herb by conducting heat from the outside in. Conduction vaporizers usually require a finer grind and tighter packing of material - this means a tighter draw as the density restricts airflow somewhat.
- Convection vaporizers heat air up quickly, the air is then drawn through the herb which in turn heats the cannabinoids into a vapour. This method usually requires a less finely ground herb with less dense packing to allow the air to flow evenly round the herb. The draw resistance is usually lower in convection vapes.
As you have mentioned portable only I'll stick with models that are battery or butane driven.
SESSION VAPES are used by sipping on them in sessions of 5-15mins long
The Boundless Vapes (
http://bndlsvapes.com/shop/dry-herb-vapes.html) is a hybrid conduction and convection vaporizer that falls into the good value for money range.
Pro's:
- Good battery
- Cheap
- Good flavour
- Variable temp control
- Quick heat up
- Can vape concentrates with an add on pod
Con's:
- They are quite large
- Less stealthy
- Still quite new on the market
- Requires quite a large packed bowl
The
Storz & Bickel (
http://www.storz-bickel.com/shop_us/en/shop/crafty.html) Crafty or Mighty are the connoisseurs choice but at $340-$400 they do hurt the wallet somewhat.
Pro's:
- Great flavour
- Great vapour cooling
- Variable temp control
- Been around for over a year so well established
- Easy to pack (comes with dedicated loading tool)
- The Crafty is fairly portable
- Can vape concentrate by using the included concentrate pads
Con's:
- Expensive
- Not all that stealthy
- Requires quite a large packed bowl
The
Davinci IQ (
http://www.davincivaporizer.com/iq-vaporizer/) is a new conduction only vape coming in at $275.
Pro's:
- Removable battery
- Variable temp control with session management features (Smart Paths control heat throughout the session)
- Very good flavour (especially when using the flavour enhancer chamber)
- Really easy to pack (very good bowl packing design)
- Very portable
- Can vape concentrates (by packing the concentrate between bud material, like a sandwich)
Con's:
- Verging on the high price margin
- Still very new to market
- Requires quite a large packed bowl
If I were starting out and wanted a session vape I'd go for the Boundless as it is great value for money and still offers a great experience.
ONE HITTERS (OR RIPPERS) are usually packed, hit hard and then put down
The
GrassHopper (
https://www.grasshoppervape.com/store/vaporizers/) is a convection vape built to look like a pen and come in at $175 - $225. They are fairly new on the scene but they are catching on, ex-smokers seem to like them the most as they tend to give that smoking feeling when hitting them (but without all the next day heavy chest/phlegm issues).
Pro's:
- Very stealthy
- Very efficient (gets a lots of vapour from small amounts of herb)
- Good flavour (great at low temps)
- Variable temp control
- Removable battery
- Middle of the road pricing
- Very portable
- Can vape concentrates (by using organic cotton wool)
Con's:
- Poor battery performance
- Still a little new to market
- Small bowl size (some people see this as a Pro)
- Can be a little tricky to pack
The
DynaVap VapCap or OmniVap (
http://www.dynavap.com/) are conduction based vaporisers that use an external heat source like a butane torch lighter to heat the material. They are very popular due to their price and customisable design and the fact you don't need electricity to run them. $30 -$160.
Pro's:
- Somewhat stealthy
- Very portable (most portable vape I've come across)
- No dependence on batteries
- Very customisable
- Good flavour
- CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP (for an Original Glass anyway)
Con's:
- Requires a bit of technique
- Small bowl size
- Once used you need to wait for it to cool down before putting in your pocket
- Can vape concentrates (by using organic cotton wool)
If I were starting out and wanted a one hitter I'd start with the DynaVap Original Glass, it's cheap and you can always upgrade once you have had a little time to adjust to vaping.
***EDIT***
It is worth noting that all the above are geared towards vaping of the actual buds rather than concentrates. Some of the above can handle concentrates with add on components.