Vaping is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to consume cannabis because it’s easy to do and discreet while also being much healthier than smoking. There are several different types of weed vaporizers out there, but the cannabis vape pen is among the most popular.
By the end of the article, you’ll know all about cannabis vape pens, from how to use one to why they’re so popular, along with the many benefits of vaping weed.
What Happens When You Vape Weed?
When it comes to vaping cannabis, you can vape either dried flower or concentrates such as cannabis oil. While there are devices out there that can vaporize both, the devices used to vaporize flower are usually different from those used to vape concentrates. In this article, we’ll be focusing on the weed pens that vape cannabis oil and distillate.
All vaporizers have the same primary function, which is to heat the cannabis (either concentrate or flower) to the point where the good stuff like the terpenes and cannabinoids turn into vapour.
This is achieved by heating the cannabis to temperatures below the combustion point, after which the resulting vapour is inhaled.
The effects of vaping weed can kick in within minutes, if not seconds. The time it takes for the high to take effect is similar to smoking and is why some people will prefer vaping to edibles, as edibles can take hours for you to feel anything.
The euphoric high from a vape pen could have you feeling like her.
Benefits of Cannabis Vape Pens
Do you desire an alternative way to avoid the hack-inducing smoke of blunts, joints, and bongs? Try cannabis vape pens instead.
Portable
One of the biggest reasons why cannabis vape pens are so popular is that they’re the most portable vaporizers. In fact, they’re called pens due to their compact shape that closely resembles a traditional writing pen, which means it will easily fit in your pocket or bag for you to take with you wherever you go (except if you’re travelling internationally, then leave it at home!).
Discreet
Not only are vape pens easy to take with you wherever you go, but they’re also very discreet. With weed pens, you no longer have to worry about the smell of weed in your pocket or bag threatening to alert anyone to the fact that you’ve got some on you.
Even better, when you’re using a vape pen, there’s no thick, pungent smoke that someone can smell from blocks away. The vapour produced by the weed pen is light and airy and quickly dissipates, leaving zero traces behind.
The vapour itself also has little to no smell anyways, so you don’t have to worry about the smell of weed getting on your clothes, fingers, or in your hair.
Easier on the Lungs
Vaporization of cannabis is a healthier alternative to smoking as the temperatures involved in the process aren’t high enough for the cannabis to burn, sparing your lungs the carcinogens and tar found in smoke.
Preserves the Flavour
In comparison to smoking, vaping weed preserves more of the terpenes, the aromatic oils in cannabis (and many other plants) that give it its distinctive smell and taste. Some people think of the terpenes as the ‘essential oils’ of cannabis, as terpenes even have potential health therapeutic benefits.
Potential Long-Term Benefits of Vaping
Cannabis vaporization has many potential long-term health benefits, especially when compared to other methods like smoking, although more research is needed.
For instance, a 2007 study reviewed the self-reported respiratory symptoms in individuals who smoke weed and cigarettes. The study found that while vaping weed increased the amount of cannabis taken, “use of a vaporizer predicted fewer respiratory symptoms even when age, sex, cigarette smoking, and amount of cannabis used were taken into account”.
They concluded that vaporization temperatures are pretty good in avoiding the toxins and smoke associated with burning, or combusting, flower.
Anatomy of a Weed Pen
Weed pens have two main components to them- a cartridge and battery- which can be separated and connected since they screw together, and that’s why you’ll often see mentions of threading when it
A typical cannabis vape pen kit containing a charger, battery, and cartridge.
comes to vape batteries and cartridges.
It’s very important that the threading of your battery and cartridge match, or else you won’t be able to connect them, and subsequently, your vape pen won’t work.
Battery
A vape for cannabis oil primarily consists of two significant pieces: the cartridge (top part) and the battery (bottom part). Vape pen batteries come in various styles, such as button or buttonless, and small or large.
Some types of batteries are activated just by inhaling. These are also known as ‘auto draw’ cannabis vape pens as they sense the air being inhaled and immediately turn on to heat the cannabis concentrate.
These buttonless batteries are sometimes referred to as ‘draw activated’. The Unicorn Hunter and Straight Goods vape pens on our menu are draw-activated and disposable, but we also have reusable vape kits from BC Trees and Haaze.
One of the most widely used vape pen batteries is the 510 thread, which is compatible with most prefilled vape cartridges in the cannabis market.
Cartridge
The vape pen cartridge is the top glass piece of a vape device prefilled with cannabis oil or distillate, and also vary in that some are refillable while others are not. One of our favourites is the High Voltage Terp Sauce cartridge.
A vape cartridge also has a mouthpiece (where you inhale), chamber, and a heating element (also referred to as an atomizer). The cartridge chamber is filled with the cannabis distillate or oil that contains concentrated amounts of cannabinoids. The atomizer vaporizes the cannabis oil using a cotton wick or coils made from ceramic or quartz.
Most cannabis vape pens come with their own pre-loaded cartridges and are ready to be used straight out of the box- no setup required. If you’ve got a reusable vape pen, you can easily unscrew an empty cartridge and replace it with a brand new one and continue vaping to your heart’s content.
When buying a vape cartridge, it’s critical to know the type of oil it contains and what (if any) cutting agents were used to dilute the oil, and how it is flavoured. Some cannabis vape cartridges are refillable because they have removable mouthpieces, which means that they also can be reused and refilled, while other vape cartridges are single-use only.
How To Use a Cannabis Vape Pen
Many beginners tend to struggle with how to start a vape pen for the first time. But the good news is that learning how to use a vape pen is more straightforward than learning how to smoke weed. It’s simple! Attach the cart to the battery, and all you need to do is push the power button and breathe in.
If you’ve got a draw-activated vape pen, it’s even easier than that- simply put the vape to your lips and inhale!
If you’re experiencing problems getting started, try these troubleshooting tips that will ensure that no more than five minutes will pass from the moment you unboxed the pen to creating that deliciously smooth cannabis vapour.
- Make sure your vape pen is fully charged before using or putting a cartridge on it. The battery gets diminished if it stays unused for long.
- If you’re using a vape pen with an on/off button, make sure it’s turned on. The draw activated cannabis vape pens automatically goes to sleep when not in use.
- Ensure that the battery and the cartridge are completely attached and keep the vape pen upright to avoid oil leakages.
- Begin with low doses as it’s very easy to over-consume cannabis when using a vape pen.
- Taking a long drag can stop the power supply to the atomizer after it reaches its automatic shutoff limit. Your pen’s user manual will have more details about its limit, but they normally don’t go beyond 8 seconds on a single hit.
The optimal cannabis dosage varies from one person to the other as everybody reacts differently to cannabis. To know the right dosage of a cannabis vape pen, you will need to try it personally; start slowly and maybe inhale once or twice and wait a few minutes to see how you feel before going for more.
Cannabis vape pens are not difficult to use, so get in touch with us in case you have any questions.
CO2 Oil vs. Distillates
One major factor determining the proper functioning of a vape pen cartridge is the viscosity (thickness or thinness) of the oil. The cartridge manufacturers always ensure that they produce the ideal oil for the vape pens to streamline the vaporization process.
CO2 Oil
CO2 oil can retain high levels of plant-based terpenes if properly extracted, which means the natural taste of the particular strain can be preserved. Their high compatibility with vape pen cartridges is because they don’t require any additional substances to meet the desired viscosity levels for vaporization in a cannabis vape pen, and CO2 oils are generally darker in colour than distillates.
CO2 oils are highly concentrated with both cannabinoids and terpenes, leading the CO2 extraction method to be widely adopted by many manufacturers.
Distillate
Cannabis distillates contained in the cartridge are refined oils containing high levels of a single cannabinoid- usually THC, the cannabinoid that gets you stoned. Distillates often reach levels of over 90% pure THC, making them very, very potent.
Since all of the other components of cannabis are stripped off in distillates, they have no flavour, aroma, or taste- making them widely used in many different capacities, from vaping to edibles. On the other hand, a thinning agent is required to cut the viscosity of distillates as there’s no residual terpene left.
Distillate cartridges can contain additives that function as thinning agents like polyethene glycol, vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, and triglycerides. As mentioned earlier, terpenes can also act as thinning agents and are often added to the distillate in cannabis vape pens to improve both the flavour and viscosity.
This is a picture of distillate, while CO2 oil is usually a darker amber colour.
Types of Cannabis Vape Pens
Cannabis vape pens are becoming very popular due to their convenience and discreet nature. Vape pens come in various types, mainly disposable and reusable/rechargeable pens that are ideal for on the go and prefilled with a high-quality cannabis oil or distillate.
The best vape pen for oil cartridges combines performance, durability, and style such that it’s very user friendly but hard-hitting.
Disposable Vape Pens
The disposable cannabis vape pens are designed with cartridges and pre-charged inbuilt batteries to power the pen until the concentrate is done.
They are compact all-in-one devices with inseparable batteries and cartridges. Disposable vape pens need no charging and should be thrown away after they’re done because you can’t refill or recharge it.
Reusable Vape Pens
Many vape pens are designed with a rechargeable battery that screws into various standard 510 thread cartridges and atomizers. They might have a preloaded cartridge each to be used with a specific vape device, but you can also buy vape kits that come with only the battery and a charger.
Some reusable vape pens also come with adjustable temperature controls that enable you to customize your vaping experience as per your preferences.
These types of vape pens require some maintenance because you’ll be using them several times before disposal.
How To Refill Your Empty Vape Cartridges
The refillable vape pen cartridges can be more cost-effective when vaping your oils or distillate than dealing with disposable or prefilled cartridges- especially if you’re a heavy vaper.
All you need to get started are empty vape cartridges, oil or distillate, and a 510-threaded battery. You can fill them with anything from distillates to THC and CBD vape oils.
You can also make the oil yourself or just buy it in large quantities, which can save you a lot of money in the process.
Here are some tips for an empty vape pen cartridge refill:
- Unscrew the mouthpiece on top
- Fill the chamber in-between the walls of the chimney and the tank. Make sure not to get any oil inside the central hole.
- Syringes are best used to refill vape cartridges because they reduce the risks of messing up.
- Do not over-refill the cartridge. Consider having some room for screwing the mouthpiece back to its position to avoid overflowing.
- Wait for about 10-15 minutes to prime the coils. More time may be required if you’re using thicker oils and distillates.
- After several refills, you’ll notice a burnt-like taste and a faint flavour. This means that it’s time to buy a new cartridge.
Cannabis oil cartridges can be refilled and used many times, especially if it’s designed with high-quality material. The best cartridges are known to have a coil that holds up well after refilling and using the cartridge multiple times.
When choosing an oil cartridge, there are some things to look for in the best refillable oil cartridge, such as the coil longevity, efficiency, airflow, capacity, and build quality.
While manufacturers might fill their vape cartridges this way, don’t worry, it’s easy to refill your own cartridge in the comfort of your home.
Conclusion
Using a weed vape pen is the modern method of toking without smoke. Vape pens are effective in getting you the most out of your oils and distillates. And since you are not incinerating the cannabis, you’re in a better position to experience the subtle flavours while saving your lungs from the negative effects of smoking.
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Sources cited
Eaze: Vaporize it/How to use an oil cartridge vape pen.
Migvapor: Vaporizers.
Nuggmd: What to know before buying the proper disposal vape pens.
Weedmaps: How to vape weed.
Vaping360: How to use a vape pen for THC, CBD and more.
