Things to consider When buying a Dry Herb Vaporizer

Picking out the dry herb vaporizer isn’t easy, especially with so many new vapes coming to the market. The good news for consumers is that thanks to recent technology advancements weed vaporizers are now more affordable- but the bad news is that makes it even trickier to choose the best herbal vaporizer for your needs.

Once you experience the flavor and convenience of a good portable vaporizer, it’s hard to go back to burning your weed.

Over the past few years, our staff has collectively tested hundreds of weed vaporizers. We formed this list based on our mixed opinions and experience, to help you find the best dry herb vaporizers in 2019. This list is updated continuously with new vapes. Do you own one of these vapes? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Price point

Not all vapes are created equal, and typically you can’t compare a $200 vape to a $60 vape. It’s important to keep in mind that vaping is an investment. Vaping is more efficient than smoking, and you may cut your herb use by half.

Cheap vs. Expensive Vaporizers:

The first thing you’ll notice is the build quality. High-end vapes use materials such as- aluminum (Pax), glass (Solo 2), or even zirconia (DaVinci IQ). Cheaper vapes will use more plastic and silicone.

The second thing will be longevity and lifespan. Since cheaper vapes are made from lower quality materials, their life will be shorter than a high-end vape. I’ve been using my Solo 2 & Mighty heavily for over two years, and they are as good as new.

Third thing is vapor quality. You will get incredibly better flavor and vapor quality with a higher-end vape. The oven, air-path, and mouthpiece are kept pure without anything that can contaminate the flavor.

With all that said, you don’t need to buy a $400 vaporizer to be satisfied. There are plenty of great options under $200. One such example is the Solo 2. It retails for around $187 these days, and it’s the best herb vaporizer for home use. If you’re after value, that is one to grab.

Size & Portability

You need to consider how important is size, stealth, and portability for you. Where and how you use your vape is the most significant factor you should consider when looking to buy a dry herb vaporizer.

Small vs. Large Vapes:

Large vapes have longer battery life. In most cases, the extra size in large vaporizers means a bigger battery that will last for many sessions. Good examples here are the Solo 2 and Mighty, both are larger vapes but can last a long time without a charge.

Large vapes heat up faster. Bigger, stronger battery means more power, which means it’ll take less time to get to vaping temperature (typically around 390F).

Large vapes are more sturdy and easy to use. It’s usually more comfortable to use a vape that can firmly stand on a table, and that feels solid while holding it. Smaller vapes can be awkward to hold or draw from.

Large vapes get less hot during use. A bigger body will absorb and disperse the heat, keeping the vape cool to touch. Most smaller-size vaporizer (Pax, IQ) can get warm at the end of a session, and even very hot when vaping ovens back to back. If the vape is hot, the vapor is hot – which is terrible for flavor.

Small Vapes are more discreet and portable. Many small size vaporizers (such as Pax 3 and DaVinci IQ) can easily fit in your palm, pocket purse, or wherever. They can be easily concealed and used in public without raising suspicion. The same can not be said about the Solo 2 or Mighty.

When making a decision on which size vape to go for- if you’ll use it mostly at home, go for a bigger vape. If you are on-the-go a lot, go for a smaller vape.

Cleaning & Maintenance

I don’t like cleaning vaporizers and chances are that you won’t. It’s something to keep in mind when looking for a new dry herb vaporizer- how much cleaning or maintenance you’d have to do. The answer to that ranges between zero, and a lot. Depending on which vape you choose.

Some vapes are designed in a way that the mouthpiece and oven are in opposite sides(examples- Pax 3, IQ). This means that when cleaning, you’d have to take it apart and clean each of the components separately. And then put it back together. It also means that you can not replace the air-path.

Other vapes are designed in a way that the air-path and mouthpiece are the same components (examples- Solo 2, Mighty/Crafty). This design is much easier to clean and maintain since you have fewer parts to clean- oven and mouthpiece. Another advantage of this design is- with the Mighty/Crafty and Solo 2, you can buy a new mouthpiece for relatively cheap- under $20. And since the mouthpiece is also the vapor-path, it will basically replace 90% of the parts that get dirty, leaving you with an almost brand new vaporizer.

Vapes like the Crafty/ Mighty/ Solo 2 have a clear advantage here over the Pax 3 and DaVinci IQ.

Oven Size

Oven size used to be more of an issue but manufactures came up with innovative ways to reduce/ increase oven size. You see, when using a vaporizer, you have to use all the herb you place in the oven- in one session. You can not vape a few hits, let it go, come back an hour later, and vape a few more hits from the same oven. Well technically you could, it’ll just suck.

So current day vapes use oven inserts to reduce oven size– IQ uses glass spacers, Pax 3 uses a half-oven lid, and Mighty/Crafty use an oven pad. All allow you to choose the oven size and get efficient with your herbs.

Vaping Extracts

Some dry herb vapes also allow the use of THC extracts and Concentrate (examples- Pax 3, Crafty/Mighty). I highly recommend against it. You shouldn’t use extracts in your primary dry herb vape. Extracts will make everything stick and will double your cleaning needs.

You should buy a separate wax vape pen for your extracts. They are not expensive, small, and will work with concentrates better than dry herb vaporizers. Here are my favorite wax pens of 2019.