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Have you ever been smoking a joint and been hit with some hacking, body-wracking coughing fits that you just couldn’t shake? This can happen to the best of us, even if your lungs are more than used to a toke or two. Whenever this happens you can try to tough it through, take a break from smoking or switch to another way to get your cannabis-fix. One of the most popular methods of enjoying the benefits and experiences of cannabis that many people are dropping smoking for is vaping.
Vaporizers have come a long way from the primitive “handheld heaters” of years past. There are so many kinds of vaporizing devices and different kinds of vapable products – both nicotine and cannabinoid based types – that the majority of smokers today seem to prefer the clean inhales of vaporizers to traditional joints, pipes and bongs.
Vapes are great, but for some people loading cartridges of liquid extracts or concentrates doesn’t satisfy the same ways that rolling, packing and lighting blunts or bongs do. Not only are some vaping cartridges expensive or overly potent for some lower tolerance smokers, they’re not fond of the amount of pollution all these plastic containers contribute to. Whatever your reasons for wanting to switch to vaporizers, smoking dry herb will always be one of the most affordable and most enjoyable ways to get high. If only there was a way to have your vapes and smoke your buds too…
Fear not would-be vaping noob – dual use vaporizers are one of the hottest items on the market today, and they’re here to provide you with multiple options for inhaling THC, CBD and other cannabinoids. What are dual purpose vaporizers? Is it easy to learn how to use vaporizers? What are the best dual use vaporizers today? Let’s puff-puff-pass some knowledge about dual purpose vaporizers around and get you started on your smokeless journey pronto.
WHAT ARE DUAL PURPOSE VAPORIZERS?
One thing can be great, but two is always better… right?! This rule definitely applies to dual purpose vaporizers. Dual use vaporizers make it easy to get the best of both worlds of cannabis – dry cannabis buds as well as liquid/oil based cartridges. A dual purpose vaporizer is very unique to traditional vaping products in that you can load the device with either dry herb as well as concentrates.
Most vaporizers work the same, essentially, heating up cannabis contents held within and delivering these decarboxylated/extracted active compounds through water vapor. Certain devices focus on smoother vape inhales or concentrating potent doses in each drag, but almost all dual use vaporizers are manufactured with larger conduction heating chambers that can manage both liquid and solids.
Heating settings are often customizable – to be able to switch between dry buds or liquid concentrates – in addition to robust casings, digital displays and LED lighting make dual purpose vaporizers some of the most advanced cannabis technology to-date. Another distinct advantage of most vaporizers has to do with how convenient, discreet and mobile they can be. Some vaporizers are so small that they can be concealed in the small coin pocket in your jeans. Others focus on convenience, heating up incredibly fast and being ready for a pull anytime of the day.
Convenience and consistency are the names of the vaping game for most water-tokers, and the best dual use vaporizers provide both of these in spades. In the past people who enjoyed vaping and smoking would have to own multiple devices or just rely on traditional smoking implements (rollies, pipes, bongs, etc). Some people are hesitant to get into vaping because they assume the technical know-how required will be too much for their stoner-brains. This is definitely not the case, as learning how to use vaporizers is the easiest, most convenient and most consistent way to get high – especially now with dual use vaporizers on the scene.
Here are some features of dual purpose vaporizers that you’ll want to be on the lookout for when you’re ready to buy a device:
Customizable skins/shells
Heating control settings (Celsius/Fahrenheit)
Direct-contact heating conduction chambers
Larger temperature ranges (200 – 500℉)
Fast heating (under 20-30 seconds is ideal)
Durable and/or replaceable mouthpieces
Quick-charge battery, easy-to-use chargers + adapters
Digital interface or LED light up indicators
Compactness, sleek design, durable materials
The best dual use vaporizers will have most, if not all, of these kinds of features and more. Depending on your budget and how much vaping you plan on doing, there are a ton of different devices you can invest in. Which brand of dual purpose vaporizer you buy is completely up to you, but try to pick a vape that offers as much cost-friendliness, convenience, control and consistency as possible – the 4 C’s of vape device shopping.
HOW TO USE VAPORIZERS
Learning how to use vaporizers at home, in public or even at work is incredibly easy – it is definitely one of the biggest selling features for any vaping device. Not only do you not have to worry about smoke giving away a sneaky drag on your vaporizer, you won’t have people bothering you about the smell of weed when you’re out and about. Some places still restrict vaporizing to the same zones as smoking areas, but for the most part people won’t even know when you’re hitting your vape.
When you’re just starting out and figuring out how to use vaporizers, whether they’re dual use vaporizers or standard extract-only, there’s a few steps you need to know:
1. Load/fill your dual use vaporizer device with either dry cannabis flowers, liquid extract or oil-based concentrates. Vaporized products can be very potent, so try to start with small amounts and increase as needed (start low, go slow method).
2. Power up your dual purpose vaporizer, adjusting temperatures to suit dry herb, wax, shatter, extracts, hash or kief. Temperature settings will vary between devices, so be sure to consult the manufacturer’s guide/manual whenever you’re adjusting settings.
3. Inhale/pull/drag on the mouthpiece. If an insignificant amount of vapor is pulled from the device, it may be that the heating conduction/convection chamber is not yet at a high enough temperature. When this occurs, reset the device temperature settings or wait a bit longer before attempting to inhale again.
4. Replace/refill the heating chamber with more cartridges or dried buds if you need more. Again, many vaporized products can be quite potent, so waiting between inhaling additional buds/extracts is advised – the effects of cannabinoids can be delayed at times.
5. Clean your dual use vaporizer after every use to maintain an efficient, high-performance device. This may include brushing, picking, washing or rinsing your dual purpose vaporizer, depending on the manufacturer’s instructions.
If you follow these steps you’ll always get the most out of your dual use vaporizer. Learning how to use vaporizers isn’t the hard part – choosing what to vape is really the crux of the matter. There are so many flavors, potencies and price points for different vapable cannabis products: buds, kief, hash, wax, shatter, e-liquids, concentrates and extracts. What you choose to vape is ultimately up to you, but make sure you shop around for the best deals online before you invest heavily in one kind or another.
THE BEST DUAL USE VAPORIZERS
There are a ton of vaporizer brands out there, but what are the best dual use vaporizers that money can buy? The answer will depend on where you live, your budget, and how frequently you vape and why. Some dual use vaporizers are very cheap in Canada or the United States, but Australia and Europe might have less dual purpose vaporizer options in lieu of standard liquid/oil/shatter devices. Instead of offering up some brands you should give your money to (because this will be different for everyone), we thought it’d be valuable to provide some general tips when you’re shopping for the best dual use vaporizer to suit your needs:
Capacity
Any vape worth its weight in weed has to have a decent heating chamber capacity. What good is a unit that heats up fast and lights up in pretty colors if you can only vape a tiny sliver of buds or shatter?! Some dual purpose vaporizers are too hefty or bulky which can present other problems, but for the most part vaporizers need to have a goldilocks-capacity: not too big, not too small, just enough to get your buzz on.
Durability
Most vaporizers are very solid machines these days, but some provide better bang-for-your-buds than others. Aluminum or ceramic shells are common and can be strong enough to survive most falls. Whatever the casing material, make sure it has been tested, certified safe and secure before you buy. Speaking of testing…
Warranty
Does your device come with a warranty? Some are limited to just a year, others offer premium coverage for a decade. This will certainly impact the price of your dual use vaporizer, but the best ones meet somewhere in the middle – free, unlimited warranty on parts or replacement for 3-5 years (the typical life-cycle of most vaporizer devices).
Convenience
Convenience includes how discreet a vaporizer is in size, how mobile-friendly it is and any features that make vaping in public more safe for you and those around you.
Performance
A pull on any good vaporizer will be smooth, flavorful, potent and trigger those pleasure centers in the brain that make us feel right at home when puffing on a joint. Whether you vape to quit smoking or just prefer the satisfaction of a plume of non-irritating vapor, dual purpose vaporizers offer the best of both worlds.
