How to pick a vaporizer – by Liza Therkelsen
This post is part of a partnership with Quiddity. Quiddity is the perfect shopping experience that connects people with things that are perfect for them. Liza is part of the Quiddity team.
By: Liza Therkelsen
Think back to the first time you consumed cannabis. It might’ve been a slightly flattened joint pulled from the back pocket of a friend at a concert. Or from a bong at a party. You might’ve opted for a home-cooked brownie. Looking back on my relationship with cannabis, I’ve consumed the plant in many different forms— but in college, I vividly remember purchasing my first glass pipe. It felt like a rite of passage— I no longer had to depend on others for consumption. My pipe is interwoven with my college memories. It reminds of time spent bonding with new friends and creating questionable food concoctions to satisfy late-night cravings.
Although I feel fondness towards this tried and trusted pipe in my post-collegiate life, I’m ready for change. The bowl feels juvenile. I don’t drink wine out of a plastic cup anymore, so why should I approach cannabis the same way I did during my dorm room days?? I’m ready for a more sophisticated device that will improve my consumption experience. A vaporizer makes sense.
I started thinking about buying a vaporizer while researching the subject for work. I’m a publishing strategist at Quiddity, a new product review site that uses a proprietary algorithm to help shoppers make the best decision. We cover all types of products, from wireless headphones and renters insurance to blenders and, yes, vaporizers. I oversee our research team , which means I’m regularly discovering new products and adding them to my dream shopping cart. When we began researching vaporizers, I was impressed by the innovative and forward-thinking design. It was the combination of my frustration with my old pipe and reviewing Quiddity’s Top 10 vaporizers that led me here. Picking a vape isn’t easy—let me help you.
I don’t drink wine out of a plastic cup anymore, so why should I approach cannabis the same way I did during my dorm room days??
What kind of vape is right for you?
It wasn’t until I decided to buy my own vaporizer that I realized how expansive the world of vaporizers is.
Sure, vaping is smoother than inhaling smoke, and in my own experience, more effective with fewer puffs. But it’s more than that. Cannabis-friendly vaporizers can work with different forms of cannabis, including dry herb, concentrates, and oils.
The first—and most important—deal breaker was that I don’t want my new vaporizer to have the same issues as my glass pipe: lack of portability and durability.
The Quiddity research team identified two types of users when it comes to vaporizers.
Purists are drawn to dry herb devices. They value purity, appreciate the ritual of packing the herbs, and enjoy selecting different unique strains.
Semi-purists will opt for devices that use dry herbs and/or waxy concentrates. Waxy concentrates are easier than dry herbs to load into vapes but deliver the same level of purity and transparency of product.
I found myself identifying with the purists group for vaporizers, as I’m most familiar with dry herb. This helped narrow the search to five contenders from our Top 10:
Prohibited In the 5th Degree Vape Pen Kit
Trimming the list of potential vapes from 10 to five was easy. But as I looked at the product specs, expert and customer reviews, and compared prices of the five remaining picks, I was overwhelmed. The products seemed really similar, and I just wanted someone to tell me what to buy. I also felt unsure of myself—what if I bought the wrong one! After hours of research, I took a breather and assessed what I needed in a vape. I wrote down my must-haves and deal-breakers..
The first—and most important—deal breaker was that I don’t want my new vaporizer to have the same issues as my glass pipe: lack of portability and durability. I don’t want a device that is easily breakable or difficult to transport. That helped me rule out the Arizer Solo, because it has glass tubes that could break during travel or regular use.
Next, I considered the actual size of the vaporizers. I’m a petite woman and can barely hold my iPhone with one hand. So the next two vaporizers I vetoed were the hefty Prohibited In the 5th Degree Vape Pen Kit and the FireFly 2. Both were too big and clunky for me.
That brought it down to a final battle royale between the DaVinci IQ Vaporizer and Pax 3. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that both devices sync with an app, but you don’t have to be connected to your phone while vaping. The devices are very similar. The only major difference is the Pax 3’s slightly more expensive price tag and the DaVinci IQ lacks a long battery life.
My final pick? The Pax 3. I was drawn to the sleek design and the resounding positive expert reviews. Although it is pricey, I’m justifying this purchase as an investment that’s worth it in the long run.
This was my first time as a shopper on Quiddity, and my journey revealed I had criteria I did not consider from the get-go. When shopping for a vaporizer for yourself, I encourage you to truly listen to your needs. It’s easy to be intimidated by the wealth of information and types of devices in the cannabis space.
Write down the things you love about your current experience and areas for improvement. Or write down your dream device and how much you’d be willing to spend on it. These exercises will help you stick to your intentions. And, if all else fails, utilize the Ellementa community for feedback— that’s what it’s meant for!
If you want to see the Top 10 Vaporizers Quiddity reviewed, you can check them out here: https://www.quiddity.com/categories/vaporizers/vaporizers
Check out Ellementa’s review of the Davinci IQ.
