As far as the debate over power versus price, there are some hands-down winners:
- Prius vs. Lamborghini
- Harbor Freight vs. Hilti Tools
- Single-ply toilet paper vs. Charmin Ultra Soft
But we’re here to talk about vaporizers. In order to competently weigh power vs. price, you need to understand the basics of vaporizers. At its most basic, a vaping device is composed of the following parts:
- Battery
- Coil
- Oven Chamber
- Switch
- Mouthpiece
If you’re a novice at using a dry herb vaporizer, you should probably start with a basic “on/off” vaporizer that has few customization options at the switch. By starting simple, you’ll get the hang of all of the mechanics of getting a good hit before you start making adjustments. Once you get a feel for the kind of throat feel, heat, and flavor you like, then you can start looking into some of the more customizable options.
One of the first things you’ll want to decide is whether to buy a conduction or a convection vaporizer. Conduction vaporizers have been around a lot longer, but convection vaporizers are also popular these days. Which is best for you? It just depends on the experience you’re looking for.
A Brief Side-by-Side of Conduction vs. Convection
The pros of a conduction vaporizers are that your herb warms up really quickly, and they are often less expensive. Since the herbs actually come into contact directly with heat source, they also offer the opportunity for a more combustion-like experience at higher temperatures, even able to create thick clouds of smoke. In many ways, at higher temperature settings, a conduction vaporizer can be more like an electric pipe. At lower temperatures, much less smoke will be created and the user will better be able to savor the taste of their material without burning it.
Convection vaporizers haven’t been around as long, but some people prefer them because of a smoother, less combustion-like vaping experience. You don’t have to worry about your herb burning because it doesn’t actually come in contact with the heat, so there is very little smoke. But they also take longer to heat, tend to be larger and more expensive.
Feel the Power
Increasing the amount of power to your vaporizer can also get you a more flavorful and vapor-filled hit. To increase the power, it can be as easy as pressing the “up” arrow on your vaporizer until it reaches a temperature level that you enjoy. The RYOT Verb allows you to select and easily change the exact temperature desired.
Where vaporizers are concerned, price isn’t necessarily indicative of how your experience will be. There are definitely many brands out there that cost more and have fancy customization options, but some of these options, like styles with a blue-tooth app connection to your cell phone, are really just more bells and whistles that drain battery life and can be more hassle than benefit. In the end, it all comes down to preference. Whatever vaporizer decision you make, it’s smart to start simple and you really can’t go wrong. Make sure to pair your choice with a quality grinder and it’s a good idea to have a one-hitter for back up just in case the battery goes dead on you.