There’s a large degree of difference between delta 8 THC products. A growing demand for a smooth and legal high offered by delta 8, as well as its numerous health benefits, have created a booming market with lots of great companies and an equal number of scammers.
The lack of regulation puts the responsibility on the customers’ shoulders, so it’s in your own interest to do proper research and be aware of the pitfalls of buying delta 8 THC online and near you.
In this article, we present the top 4 of the best delta 8 THC brands along with some tips on how to spot a trustworthy company amidst the sea of mediocre suppliers.
Best Delta 8 THC Products for Sale (Top Brands for 2021)
- Area52
- Finest Labs
- 3Chi
1. Area52
Area52 has already made big headlines in the cannabis industry despite their short appearance on the scene. The company offers premium delta 8 extracts from organic hemp and extracted with supercritical CO2 extraction, which is the golden standard for hemp extracts. The guys at Area52 pride themselves in making delta 8 THC products in traditional formats, including vapes, edibles, and tinctures.
The reason why Area52 has caught our attention is the effort they put in laboratory testing. Area52 products are tested at different manufacturing stages, and each product has a batch-specific certificate of analysis (COA) that lists their potency, cannabinoid profile, and content analysis for solvents, mycotoxins, heavy metals, and pesticides.
While these products are a bit more expensive than the market’s average, the top-shelf quality of ingredients in simple formulations makes this brand the best delta 8 vendor in our opinion overall.
Products Sold by Area52
- Delta 8 THC Tinctures
- Delta 8 THC Gummies
- Delta 8 THC Vape Cartridges
2. Finest Labs
Finest Labs is another new brand that specializes in delta 8 THC extracts. It shares some common product formats with Area52 – but in slightly lower concentrations.
This company is the best pick for those who are going to try delta 8 THC for the first time — or for lightweight users with a low tolerance to delta 8. With strengths like 500 mg (tinctures) or 10 mg (gummies), it’s easier to work your way up to the sweet spot where you experience the health benefits without getting edgy.
Lower potencies also call for a lower cost per product. If you’re looking for an affordable company that offers premium products, you won’t be disappointed with the standards delivered by Finest Labs.
Products Sold by Finest Labs
- Delta 8 THC Tinctures
- Delta 8 THC Gummies
- Delta 8 THC Vape Cartridges
3. 3Chi
Compared to the two above brands, 3Chi is a veteran in the delta 8 THC space. It’s also one of the most popular names in this niche. The company offers a wide range of delta 8 THC products, from vape cartridges to gummies to tinctures, flowers, and moonrocks.
3Chi deserves a medal for their consistency in lab-testing and overall transparency, which are the two biggest advantages of this brand. The 3Chi Team openly publishes relevant and up-to-date lab reports for all their products — including the results for potency, microbial contaminants, pesticides, heavy metals, and solvents.
Products Sold By 3Chi
- Delta 8 THC Tinctures
- Delta 8 THC Gummies
- Delta 8 THC Distillates
- Delta 8 THC Vape Cartridges
- Delta 8 THC Flower & Moonrocks
How to Find a Reputable Delta 8 THC Brand
It can be challenging to find a trustworthy brand offering delta 8 THC, especially if you’ve never taken such products before and don’t know what you should expect. The lack of regulation has created vast opportunities for scammy companies to mooch on low public awareness.
Here’s what you need to research if you want to make sure you’re getting a legitimate delta 8 THC product.
1. Third-Party Testing (Paramount!)
There’s no better way to ensure the quality of any given product than to test it in an independent laboratory — which applies to the delta 8 THC market as well.
However, delta 8 THC producers should be particularly meticulous about testing their goods — this can tell a lot about their reliability.
Unless the delta 8 comes from marijuana (which may be illegal in your state), it needs to be converted from CBD first. This process involves the use of toxic chemicals such as zinc bromide and hydrochloric acid. These chemicals are then purged, which requires a lot of skill and high-tech equipment to run the process by the book.
A third-party analysis is performed to verify the potency of a tested sample as well as its cannabinoid profile and the aforementioned contaminants. If the company succeeds in removing the above chemicals from the end product, the certificate of analysis will show it.
A laboratory is considered “third-party” if it has no affiliation with the manufacturer. There are several such labs in the United States, providing unbiased results.
We recommend ordering only from brands that publish up-to-date certificates of analysis.
2. Lots of Positive User Reviews
Checking for user reviews is another way to run a quality check of a company. Just keep in mind that these reviews should come from third-party websites, such as blogs, online rankings, or expert opinions. There are already a few online communities of delta 8 THC users — you just need to look around different forums and social media groups.
The reason why we point you to third-party websites is because the reviews on the brands website may stay in stark contrast to what you can read from independent sources.
Here are just a few signs that could indicate a company sells low-quality products:
- No mentions of the company anywhere
- Clear evidence that the company is being dishonest
- Too many negative reviews throughout the web
3. Transparency
Trustworthy delta 8 THC brands share as may details on their activities as possible. They also have a clear and concise mission statement, and their marketing relies on hard facts rather than fancy buzzwords.
If a company doesn’t mention anything about their farming practices, extraction methods, or laboratory testing, this is an alarming sign because it means they may be dishonest with their customers.
4. Extraction Method
Extraction technology can make or break the quality of a delta 8 extract, so it’s another important factor to consider. The best method to make delta 8 THC products is to extract it directly from a mature marijuana or hemp plant. This method is free of any chemicals, but its availability is limited to the states with a legal marijuana market.
The more common method involves synthesizing delta 8 THC from CBD. It is legal on a federal level but calls for using toxic chemicals.
The source of your delta 8 products determines their legal status, so it’s important to do your research on the local marijuana laws in your states; it’s better to be safe than sorry.
What’s the Average Price of Delta 8 THC?
The cost of delta 8 THC products is generally estimated by calculating the cost per milligram of delta 8 THC. This allows for an objective comparison of the prices of different products.
A milligram of delta 8 THC costs around $0.06 – $0.10 on average.
Here’s a brief comparison of the prices by product type:
- Distillate – $0.03 – $0.07
- Vape Cartridges – $0.08 – $0.15
- Tinctures – $0.06 – $0.012
- Gummies – $0.05 – $0.10
Types of Delta 8 THC Products
The basic form of delta 8 THC is a distillate. The distillate can be then infused into oils, capsules, edibles, or vape liquids. In this section, we provide a brief overview of the most common types of delta 8 THC products available for sale.
1. Delta 8 THC Tinctures
Delta 8 Tinctures are similar to CBD tinctures. They contain a hemp extract (distillate) suspended in a carrier oil to boost the product’s volume and bioavailability (cannabinoids dissolve in fats).
You can take a tincture under the tongue and hold it there for about 60 second for the fastest-acting effects. They should be noticeable after 45 minutes from ingestion. Most users report that delta 8 THC tinctures have a delayed onset compared to CBD oil.
The potency of your tincture will determine the strength of the tincture, so remember to choose it accordingly to your tolerance. The potency of delta 8 tinctures ranges from 300 mg to 3000 mg of delta 8 per bottle.
2. Delta 8 THC Gummies
Gummies are one of the most popular types of cannabis edibles. They can be infused with different cannabinoids, including CBD, THC, CBG, and delta 8 THC.
Delta 8 THC gummies use the same enjoyable gummy base with a premeasured dose of delta 8 THC in each serving.
Since the gummies need to pass through the digestive system, their effects have a delayed onset and can manifest themselves within 2 hours after consumption.
3. Delta 8 THC Vapes (Distillates)
Vaporization provides the fastest way to deliver delta 8 THC to one’s system. That’s because the d8 is inhaled and then passed into the bloodstream through the lung tissue. Most people experience the effects of delta 8 THC vapes within 5 minutes from inhalation. However, they also last shorter than other formats (usually between 3–4 hours).
Delta 8 THC vapes contain a distillate, which is a concentrated form of cannabinoids. A delta 8 THC distillate consists of pure delta 8 THC syrup and combined with thinning agents like propylene glycol or vegetable glycerine to produce thick clouds of vapor.
How to Spot a Scammy Delta 8 THC Company?
The delta 8 THC has remained in the underground prior to 2020. However, things have recently changed and the delta 8 space is now a booming market. But as with any booming industry, there’s a lot of mislabeled and poor-quality products sold by scammy companies. Many delta 8 brands are anything but ethical and use dangerous ingredients in their products.
The toughest problem in this market is a lack of transparency and third-party testing. Pure delta 8 THC has a good safety profile; it produces a milder high than delta 9 THC and carries a lower incidence of side effects like anxiety, paranoia, or racing heart. However, some delta 8 products can be contaminated with toxic chemical that haven’t been purged from the source plant after extraction.
Delta 8 THC can be extracted using three basic methods:
- Direct extraction from marijuana – this is hands down the safest way to obtain delta 8 THC, but unfortunately, it’s federally illegal. Companies are allowed to make delta 8 THC from marijuana only in places that have legalized the recreational use of the plant, but they still remain in the minority.
- Synthesize delta 8 THC from delta 9 THC – this is considered the second-best method. It’s inexpensive, safe, but similar to the above method, it’s federally illegal as it used delta 9 THC as the source material.
- Extract CBD, convert it into Delta 9, and then synthesize Delta 8 THC from it – this method is federally legal but the least efficient because it calls for large quantities of hemp biomass. It also requires toxic chemicals in order to yield large amounts of delta 8.
Since these chemicals are difficult to get rid of from the final product, it’s important that the producer tests every batch of its extracts in a third-party laboratory to verify their purity.
As mentioned earlier in the article, there are many low-quality, scammy companies on the market.
After doing meticulous research, we’ve put together a black list of companies, which is an anti-compilation of delta 8 products. We’ve divided them into three groups:
- Scammers – never buy from them
- Companies that don’t publish third-party reports – another big no-no!
- Companies that test potency, but don’t test for impurities – order only at your own responsibility.
Companies That Don’t Publish Third-Party Lab Reports – Another No-No!
These companies haven’t been caught cheating in any way, but they don’t publish any lab reports for their products or don’t keep them updated. Many brands have liberal testing standards and often end up with one certificate of analysis — moving forward. Every single batch should be tested by a third-party lab.
Furthermore, some companies provide certificates of analysis, but they come from an in-house laboratory, meaning the lab could have an affiliation with the manufacturer.
Companies That Test Potency, But Don’t Test for Impurities – Only At Your Own Responsibility
These companies test their products and publish their certificates of analysis, but only for the potency of delta 8 THC and the cannabinoid profile. They don’t check for contaminants, so it’s unclear whether or not these products are safe.
Final Thoughts On the Best Delta 8 THC Products
Delta 8 THC has quickly become an appealing alternative to those looking for the health benefits of delta 9 but with a much lower risk of getting anxious and paranoid. Most users describe the sensation as very soothing, which can be energizing or sedating depending on the dose and the strain.
Research suggests that on top of its mildly psychoactive effects, delta 8 THC may relieve anxiety, pain, and nausea. It can also significantly boost appetite; some people claim the munchies after delta 8 are stronger than the classic case you get from using high-THC cannabis.
The recent scientific breakthroughs have made it possible for manufacturers to extract delta 8 THC from hemp, using an innovative conversion process from CBD to delta 9 THC and then to delta 8. However, the process also requires a lot of skill and expensive equipment, so not every company can afford to make such products properly.
If you don’t want to become the victim of sketchy companies, keep the above tips and recommendations in mind. Only buy delta 8 THC from companies that are transparent about their manufacturing practices and laboratory testing.
If this is your first time with delta 8 THC and you’re searching for a reputable company, we recommend brands like Area 5 2, Finest Labs, and 3Chi. We’ve had a great experience with all three companies and appreciate the integrity and complexity of testing as well as the quality of ingredients.
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