Vaporizers are devices for consuming dried herbs that work without a flame and produce vapor instead of smoke. This means that the active ingredients are released, but toxic by-products such as tar are avoided or at least minimized. Anyone who consumes cannabis for medical reasons can even get professional vaporizers paid for by their health insurance.
In this guide we show what different types of devices, heating methods and manufacturers are available and why it is better to dig a little deeper into your pockets when buying.
What are the advantages of a vaporizer?
Consuming steam instead of smoke is easier on the lungs. Toxic byproducts from combustion are reduced to a minimum during evaporation. The taste of the steam is created solely by the aromatics of the herbs. With the right temperature setting, these are not destroyed, which leads to a very intense taste. In addition, there is a significantly higher efficiency compared to smoking. For a similar effect, fewer herbs need to be used.
How does a vaporizer work?
A vaporizer is a device used to vaporize and inhale aromatic substances from dried herbs and/or concentrates. The herbs are brought to their boiling point either by hot air flowing past (convection) or by heating the entire herb chamber (conduction) to dissolve the aromatics. How high the temperature needs to be depends on the herbs used. In order to release the aromatic substances from the herb gently and effectively, you should stick to the temperature specifications and slowly increase them during consumption.
What types of vaporizers are there?
In addition to electric vaporizers, there are also those that are heated manually using a lighter. However, it takes some practice to achieve consistent results. To get started and be comfortable, we recommend using an electric vaporizer.
The electric vaporizers are available both compactly with battery power and for stationary use at home. Mobile devices come in countless different designs, sizes and price ranges. The selection of large, stationary models for the socket is much clearer.
What fundamental differences are there?
Aside from the design and power supply, there are other key differentiators. Most, but not all, vaporizers are suitable for dried herbs. Some devices can only be used with concentrate and others are suitable for both applications. When purchasing, it is important to look at the possible temperature settings – not all devices are suitable for all herbs.
Stationary vaporizers are available with a shisha-like mouthpiece on the hose or with the option of collecting the vapor in plastic bags and then consuming it from them. The second variant may look a bit strange, but it is incredibly effective and the effect is significantly stronger than pulling on the mouthpiece.
In addition to significant differences in size and weight, mobile vaporizers also have different mouthpieces. While cheap devices are made of plastic, many well-known manufacturers use materials such as ceramic, glass or metal. Whether the mouthpiece is permanently installed, like on the Byte Path, or rotatable like on the Venty from Storz & Bickel, is primarily a matter of taste. The situation is similar with the size of the herb chamber. This can vary greatly, which is then reflected in the intensity of the taste and the duration of consumption.
There are also differences in the power supply that are noticeable in everyday life. Some devices use replaceable batteries and others use permanently installed batteries. Some require a proprietary cable to charge, others use Micro-USB or USB-C for charging.
Some models also offer control via app or software – although this is very convenient, it offers little advantage in practice.
How do cheap and expensive vaporizers differ?
What immediately becomes apparent when researching is the massive price difference between vaporizers. While particularly cheap models change hands for less than 40 euros, branded devices quickly cost 100 euros and more. Medical vaporizers from Storz & Bickel, for example, are significantly more expensive at 400 to 600 euros. But are these differences justified? From our point of view, yes.
With cheap devices, you don’t know what materials are used – and no one usually wants to inhale toxic fumes and fumes from plastic. In addition, there is a secure supply of spare parts from well-known manufacturers. If seals, filters or sieves become contaminated after a while, you can buy them individually from brand manufacturers – however, there is often no spare parts support for cheap vaporizers.
The next crucial aspect is the different efficiency. Although cheap vaporizers also work, the branded devices have a clear advantage when it comes to the consumption of herbs. While with cheap no-name vaporizers there is hardly any aroma left in the vapor after just a few puffs, with good vaporizers the taste lasts significantly longer. In terms of the highest effectiveness and steam production, the expensive devices from Storz & Bickel are regularly mentioned here. After some practical tests with an inexpensive no-name model, the mobile vaporizer Byte Path from Bavaria, the Pax 3 model and the two Storz & Bickel devices Venty and Volcano Hybrid, we can confirm this.
Which vaporizers are recommended?
A particularly high level of effectiveness and manufacturing quality can be found at the manufacturer Storz & Bickel. However, the vaporizers often used in the medical field come at a price. It starts at around 190 euros for the S&B Plenty (price comparison) – it is mobile, but requires a power cable to operate. The mobile Mighty is available from around 245 euros, the Crafty+ from 250 euros, the Mighty+ from 339 euros and the new Venty (price comparison) from 439 euros. The cheapest stationary vaporizer called Volcano Classic (price comparison) costs at least 300 euros. The Volcano Hybrid (price comparison) provided by the manufacturer for the guide is available from 500 euros.
But you don’t have to spend that much money. Although we would advise against particularly cheap models, there are a whole range of decent mobile vaporizers from around 90 to 200 euros. We either know the models listed below from friends, have tested them ourselves or came across them through recommendations from forums. It starts with the Lyte Path, which was developed in Germany. The model, which is also available in pharmacies, starts at 129 euros.
When it comes to stationary devices, there is no way around the Volcano series from Storz&Bickel. Although there are also significantly cheaper alternatives such as the Arizer V-Tower or the Arizer Extreme-Q 5.0, these are noticeably less effective.
Which herbs are suitable for vaping?
Anyone who thinks that vaporizers are only used to consume cannabis is wrong. Numerous plants or parts of them are suitable for treating asthma, loss of appetite, depression, circulatory problems or even fever, sleep disorders or stomach problems.
In addition to exotic plants such as guarana, ginger and eucalyptus, many local plants such as sage, rosemary, parsley, peppermint, linden, willow, hops and chamomile can also be vaporized. Depending on the plant, the flowers, leaves, bark, seeds or roots are used. The temperatures required are between 130 and 235 degrees Celsius. If you want to know more about this, you can find suitable temperature settings on Wikipedia.
Conclusion
Vaporizers are much more than just a way to consume cannabis – even if this may be the intended use for many users. Compared to smoking, vaporizing hardly produces any unwanted substances and is therefore gentle on the lungs. In a direct comparison, fewer flavors and active ingredients are lost, making vaporization more efficient.
We advise against cheap vaporizers under around 70 euros. On the one hand, there are often no spare parts available here and the effectiveness and taste are far from being able to keep up with good devices. Expensive medical vaporizers are the most effective – plus you can be sure that you won’t inhale any toxins from plastic.
The ideal dimensions, the adjustable temperature range and the size of the herb chamber depend primarily on your own priorities. Personally, we find the S&B Venty extremely effective and high-quality, but compared to the Late Path or the Pax 3, the model is too big for us on the go. If we were to purchase a stationary device, we would definitely choose the Volcano series from S&B – so far we have not come across a more effective model.