Adrienne Airhart
Vaping has hit the mainstream, and it's not hard to understand why: The hazard of fire is not a threat, nor are the harmful effects of carcinogens that occur when there’s combustion. While some people prefer the nostalgia of old-school desktop vaporizers, others are intrigued by the technology in a handheld dry herb vape. Either way, there is a plethora of products to suit your needs.
Phantom Premium
A multi-award winning vape company based in Glendale, CloudV has a product for every type of vaper. One of the most popular is the Phantom Premium Herbal Vape, a handheld, portable vaporizer for loose leaf, which has three temperature settings for maximum control. After adding about a half gram of ground-up herbs, simply click three times to activate the battery and you’re ready to vape. At the lowest setting, 374° F, the terpene taste is at its best, emitting small, nearly invisible clouds. The middle temperature is 410° F and gives slightly bigger clouds, while the highest temperature at 436° F will produce the biggest clouds yet. It’s all about preference — some people like to make the herbs last longer with the lowest setting, others want to see those clouds so it feels more like smoking. Goldilocks likes it right in the middle.
The Da Vinci IQ herbal vaporizer; Credit: Courtesy Da Vinci
Da Vinci
Aptly named after the visionary master of the arts and sciences, the Da Vinci was created in 2011 with technology and craftsmanship “to develop a vaporization experience that delivers unprecedented levels of purity and precision.” The IQ is a model with a bunch of features designed for conductive heating of dry herbs, with a ceramic oven and vapor path, 360° F heating, a removable battery and haptic feedback, i.e., it vibrates. It’s designed to be compact enough to fit in your hand with a sleek, iPhone-esque appeal that is truly eye-catching. The company lined its vapor path with ultra-durable zirconium, since it doesn’t conduct heat well, and thus the device doesn’t get hot in your hand. Da Vinci really paid attention to all the details in this version of its vape. The IQ gets about 70 minutes of usage after a full charge and comes with a 10-year warranty.
The Launch Box dry herb vaporizer; Credit: Courtesy Magic-Flight
Magic-Flight Launch Box
Magic-Flight is a California-based company that has created a vaporizer so unusual even steampunk hipsters would marvel at its craftsmanship. The Launch Box is designed using products sourced from natural and renewable materials, and hand assembled in “an 87-step production process using time-tested techniques and custom-built tools.” Simplicity is the game: With only a battery, oven and mouthpiece in the kit, anyone can use it with little instruction. Put your ground-up herbs in the oven, slide the battery in, and the vaporizing starts immediately. To control the temperature, you simply time your draws, counting the seconds or just inhaling slow and deep to get the best results. You’ll know your herb is done when it starts to taste a bit like buttered popcorn, and then you just dump it out and refill the chamber. Since the heating element heats from the bottom, you’ll need to be more active and move the herbs around in the oven as it convects. The company offers a lifetime warranty on the product.
PAX 3 Loose Leaf + Extract vaporizer in rose gold; Credit: Courtesy PAX
PAX 3
Founded in 2007 by two Stanford graduates, PAX has had a large presence in the cannabis community for a decade now. Its emphasis on “heat not burn” is alluring for those sensitive to combustion, whether as a result of asthma or a dislike for the burning sensation in the throat. This is the third generation of the PAX, and the company has added a hash oil insert so users can enjoy concentrates as well as dry herb vaping (it's easily removable for cleaning, which you will need to do). Another advancement is the heat time — down to 15 seconds from 45, for those who just cannot wait to get vaping. Unlike a lot of other vaporizers, the PAX doesn't have a mouthpiece; you just put your lips right on the edge of the square top. It's a little disconcerting at first, but a proprietary method the cannabis community has come to associate with the PAX. As far as handheld vapes go, this one is only 4 inches tall and fits nicely in hands, pockets and purses, with a sleek look in metallic colors including black, gold, silver and rose gold. PAX is the Apple of vapes, and everyone always wants the newest model, packed with all the latest technological advancements.
CloudEvo Standard Turbine with Incycler HydraTube; Credit: Courtesy Vapexhale
VapeXhale CloudEvo
Though it’s the big daddy of this list of dry herb vapes, at just 8 inches tall, the CloudEvo by VapeXhale is one of the smaller electric vaporizers on the market. Dabbers and loose-leaf lovers alike can enjoy this vape, as the temperature settings allow you to turn it down for herbal vaporizers and crank it up for electric, torch-free dabs. You can unplug the Evo and pass it around for a few minutes before it loses its heat, making it as effective as a battery-operated, handheld device. Many accessories are available, including a HydraTube for water filtration, which makes it feel as if you’re hitting a bong instead of a vape. But you’re not — there’s no combustion, no butane torch needed, and very little smell. VapeXhale uses a Monkey King as its logo, who was derived from the Hindi god Hanuman, the god of healing. The founder explains, “We thought this was the perfect logo to symbolize what VapeXhale stands for, to be healthy, to laugh and to maximize one’s potential.” Carry this healing vaporizer in its case and treat it like the precious investment that it is, because it will last for years. To see it in action, check out Coral Reefer, who is a big fan of the VapeXhale brand.
If you’re a vaper on the go, you’ll definitely want to get yourself one of the handheld vaporizers that fits in your pocket, such as the Phantom, Da Vinci or the Pax. To impress your friends, the Launch Box screams “I’m so into vaping I had this handmade for me personally,” and the Evo is for those who entertain or want the full vaping experience while traveling. Choose wisely, or choose them all, and enjoy those tasty, carcinogen-free terpenes.
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