Almost one in ten Australians over the age of 18 had used an e-cigarette or vaping device by mid-2021, but it’s unclear how many of those hundreds of thousands know how a vape works.
Much like the essence of a cigarette or bong, the purpose of vaporizers is to inhale the activated THC, CBD, other cannabinoids, or terpenes from your chosen substance. This could be cannabis, CBD oil, e-liquid, etc. But the similarities end when you dive deeper into the mechanisms within a vaporizer.
It’s important to understand that vaporizers can be used with herbs, oils or concentrates and a slightly different design will accompany each one. But for today’s blog, we’ll just cover the basics.
Unlike bongs or cigarettes – where the substance is burnt and smoke is inhaled – vaporizers work by heating the substance until it produces a vapor for the user to inhale.
But how does it do this? What are the benefits for the user? And is it any better than its smoke-emitting cousins?
The Inner Workings of a Vaporizer
The most important part of a vaporizer is the chamber – or, in the case of e-liquid vaporizers, the tank – where your cannabis or liquids are placed. Beneath this section is the heating chamber, usually consisting of a ceramic bowl and a coil to conduct electricity from the battery.
Once the user presses the on button outside the casing, the battery will heat the coil up to around 100°C – depending on what you’re heating – and vapor will collect inside the vape ready for the user to inhale.
Conduction vapes
Within the world of vaporizers, there are two distinct subsections – conduction and convection vapes. The former places the weed in direct contact with the heating chamber, allowing the heat to pass quickly from the coil to weed for a quicker release of vapor.
While faster at heating for the user, this method is less efficient at distributing heat through the weed, leaving users to shake up the vape between each draw. However, the simpler design of conduction vapes makes them a cheaper option for the beginner.
Convection Vapes
Convection vapes, on the other hand, keep the weed separate from the heating chamber, improving heat distribution but adding to the time it takes to produce vapor. This is achieved by heating the air in a separate chamber and allowing a fan or inhaler to bring the air through the weed or liquid in its tank. This distributes heat evenly through the substance and removes the risk of burning your precious weed.
Convection vapes are much preferred for their temperature control and more consistent draws despite being more expensive. This all equates to a far more enjoyable and convenient vaping experience.
Benefits of the Vaporizer
So far, research suggests that vaporizers are marginally healthier than regular smoking and can help people to transition away from the latter. This is partially due to there being fewer harmful chemicals in various vape substances compared to cigarettes, as well as the vaporizer’s ability to control the amount of vapor inhaled.
Vaping also reduces the carcinogens produced from burning substances in a cigarette or bong – even considering bongs filter smoke through water and attachments. Vaping also removes the bad odors associated with traditional smoking and has become far more socially acceptable.
Need to Know More?
The world of vaporizers is far more than can be explained in a mere blog post. For all the details hidden within your next vaporizer, be sure to contact The Bong Shop to find the vape that suits you.
