Vaporizer Buying Guide
How to Choose the Best Unit For Your Needs
Desktop vs Portable
1. Portable Vaporizers
1.1 Battery vs Gas
1.1.1 Battery
1.1.2 Gas
2. Desktop Vaporizers
2.1 Whip vs Balloon vs Dual
2.1.1 Whip
2.1.2 Balloon
2.1.3 Dual
Dosing Capsule
Glass Mouthpiece
Digital Display
Analog Dial
Preset Temperature
Adjustable Temperature
Dry Herbs
Wax and Oils
The Investment
1. Cost of your machine
2. Operating cost of your machine
3. Cost of Add-ons
Buying Vaporizer Checklist
Where do you exactly start when you want to find out what vaporizer you should get?
Here at VapeFuse we talk to many of our customers and members in our VapeFuse community and have helped many of them find a product which suits their needs best.
As vaporizing technology is becoming more advanced, more studies are championing vaporizing compared to combustion methods.
Vaporizing comes with no known health risks for your lungs when you are inhaling the vapor. It’s even a more efficient way to consume and get the best medicinal value out of your favourite dry herbs and/or concentrates. And if you intend to vaporize tobacco, you can absolutely do so with less smell and will also be easier for your lungs and throat.
There is a huge crowd of people around the world hearing great things about vaporizing. However, there seems to be a limited amount of information out there about how to choose the best device based on your personal needs. This is why we have put together a guide to help people like you and everyone out there, who needs guidance in choosing the best vaporizer.
This buying guide is intended to help YOU find the best unit easily and quickly to suit your needs.
How to Choose the Best Unit For Your Needs
We always start by pointing out the most essential things to consider, when deciding on what vaporizer you should get.
Look at your lifestyle, your work, your social life and your ‘you time’. Are you likely to move around a lot with your vaporizer or not? The answer to this question will help you determine the type of vaporizer you need. For example:
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If you travel for work or for pleasure or maybe you are just always on the go, you may want to look at purchasing a portable unit.
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But if you are more settled and spend most of your time in the same location, you may perhaps prefer a desktop vape.
Now, let’s talk about each of these in a bit more details, so you can decide on this step first before we move forward.
Desktop vs Portable
Portable Vaporizers
Portable vaporizers are designed to be used ‘on the go’, giving you the option to operate your vape from its battery power source or gas, which we will look into more details later.
These units are designed to be carried around with you, so you can vaporize your favorite herbs in public places, such as the beach or park.
And with the ever increasing quality of portable vapes coming into the market today, you can certainly rely on portable vapes to operate on a very high and reliable level.
Portable vaporizers usually come with a smaller herb chamber, compared to the desktop units, so you’ll have to refill more frequently. They also need slightly more maintenance in terms of cleaning and charging the battery (or refilling the gas).
So if you decide on a portable unit, next you’ll have to choose if you’d like a battery or a gas powered unit.
Battery vs Gas
Battery
Battery powered portable vapes are ever popular because many models can be charged from a USB outlet like in the car or with your PC. They also provide really good quality vapor.
There are two types of battery setup: inbuilt and replaceable battery.
Inbuilt is obviously not removable or changeable, while vapes with replaceable or changeable battery give you an extra convenience to have a fully charged spare battery on hand. So if the battery gets flat between two draws, you just quickly swap them around, and continue to enjoy vaping.
Also, most inbuilt batteries are not replaceable, so the life of your vaporizer is limited to the lifespan of the battery.
Units such as the Mighty and Crafty by Storz & Bickel are German designed and engineered, and represent exceptional quality and also come with inbuilt single and dual batteries respectively.
On the other hand, the Canadian made Arizer Solo and Arizer Air are simpler devices, but highly reliable that have been around for a long time and are very popular. The good thing about the Arizer Air is that you can easily remove and replace the battery just by screwing down the bottom of the vape.
Portable vaporizers with inbuilt battery include the likes of CloudV Vape Pens and the Flowermate.
Also, the changeable battery vapes range includes the FocusVape, Haze and WOW, just to mention a few.
Gas
Here we come to vaporizers fueled by gas which are also popular, however there are less models available in this category.
Gas vapes never need to be charged (so goodbye dangling power cords!). With this type, you are not limited to any power supply to be able to operate it. This feature makes it the most ideal vape for camping, long trips and holidays (especially in nature).
The popular lolite and WISPR 2 units are both designed and made by Oglesby & Butler in Ireland which have very high manufacturing standards.
Desktop Vaporizers
For customers who vaporize regularly (daily use) and spend most of their time in the same location, we highly recommend the desktop vaporizers.
In other words, it might be best to get a desktop device if you are permanently living in the same place and vaporize more than 2 or 3 times a week.
Regular use is more convenient and even more efficient with desktop vaporizers.
These devices are operated by directly connecting to a power source and therefore they have extremely sophisticated heating technology by not having to rely on battery power.
The filling chamber is larger on desktop units, requiring less refills and often enabling for more superior design and technology (saving space and ergonomy is not prioritised over efficiency).
But one great feature with high end desktop vaporizers is the metal pad (stainless steel liquid pad) that comes with the kit, such as with the Volcano. You can put the metal pad inside the chamber to reduce the space for dry herbs. This is a cool trick, if you are vaping alone and prefer using less dry herbs. But if you have gatherings with friends and family for a vaping session, you always have the big bowl option of your desktop vaporizer.
For added peace of mind, the desktop vaporizers also come with extended warranty.
Next thing to look into in choosing a desktop vape is the different inhalation methods that are available out there.
Whip vs Balloon vs Dual
Whip
These vapes utilize a food grade tube that is attached to the chamber holding the herbs and as you take a draw on the whip, hot air flows through the herbs. One typical whip vaporizer is the V-Tower, manufactured by the well-known Canadian maker, Arizer.
If you mostly vaporize on your own, this style of vaporizing would give you full control over the quantity of vapor you produce.
You always produce what you draw and then whenever you are finished, you just turn off your machine. And even if not all your herbs are used, you can leave it as is, then come back to it later, turn the device back on and finish the remaining herbs.
With a whip vaporizer, you can also monitor your vapor density through the food grade see-through whip tube.
Balloon
This is the most convenient vaporizing method for someone that is a regular (daily) user and occasionally invites people around.
With balloons, you don’t have to sit around and draw and go through that ritual. You can just turn your machine on, load your favorite herbs to your chamber, turn the fan on and your machine does the rest. Then you pick up the balloon when it’s ready and consume it at your convenience.
You can store the vapor in the balloon for about 10 minutes or so, so you can comfortably use it up yourself or pass it around in a group vaporizing situation.
Here at VapeFuse, we consider balloon vaporizing the most convenient and most suited for regular vaporizers.
And we consider the Volcano Desktop vape as the king of Balloon Vaporizers due to the high quality, great density vapor that it produces and it’s also very easy to operate and maintain.
Dual
By now, you know the difference between whip and balloon methods. If you are not sure which one would work for you, you can actually try both methods of inhalation in some desktop devices. Whip and Balloon vaporizers are quite popular too.
Devices like the Canadian made Extreme Q has been popular since the mid 2000’s when it hit the market and other units, such as the Vapir Rise 2.0 Ultimate are also setting high standards for all products in this category.
The dual units offer you the benefit of being able to experiment with both whip and balloon vaporizing, which is ideal for beginners. If you are starting out, this type of device will help you decide which method you prefer.
However, just like anything that is designed to be ‘dual’ these devices may not have a strong and easy to use balloon feature compared to a unit specifically designed for balloon vaporizing. For example the Volcano vaporizers are made solely for balloon vaporizing and are unbeatable by any dual units.
Now let’s look at other factors that make some vaporizers more convenient and better to use.
There are vaporizers that come with…
Dosing Capsule
These are little canisters or pods, which you can just flick or screw off the top to preload with your ground up dry herbs or liquid for later use. These filled-up tiny cans can be put inside the chamber for vaporization, which helps keeping the chamber clean after a session (who doesn’t want less cleaning, right!).
The Crafty and Mighty portable vaporizers, as well as the WOW and Flowermate range come with dosing capsules.
Glass Mouthpiece
If you are after an even purer taste, then you may want to go ahead and choose a vaporizer that comes with a glass tube or glass mouthpiece. The glass pieces are chemical free, won’t discolor and very easy to clean. The Flowermate line comes with borosilicate glass mouthpieces, and the Arizer portable vape kits also include glass tubes for inhalation. Check Out the Vaporizers with Glass Mouthpiece here.
Digital Display
Are you someone who prefer using a device with a cool digital control that shows the set and actual vaping temperature, the battery life and other additional add ons?
The Zephyr Ion desktop vaporizer is one with the biggest digital screen as well as the VapiRise2.0 that comes with a touch pad control. In the portable space, Ald Amaze WOW’s digital screen is a sure winner, that includes a “puff counter” and a timer during the session.
Analog Dial
While many people like digital designed devices, some still prefer the old fashion look, like a control knob or thermometer showing the exact temperature. One device that exemplifies this is the Plenty handheld desktop vaporizer.
Preset Temperature
There are also portable and desktop vaporizers that come with preset temperatures. CloudV vapes generally come with 3 preset temperature levels, while the Arizer Solo vape has 7 heat settings to choose from.
Adjustable Temperature
Most vaporizers on the market today, come with adjustable precise temperature control. Take for example the Volcano Digit, it can be set to your preferred exact heat setting and once it’s ready, you are good to start producing those big clouds.
Dry Herbs
VapeFuse specializes in dry herb vaporizers. We have a wide range of devices for vaporizing dry herbs. When using dry herbs, it is highly recommended to finely grind them and loosely pack them into the chamber. Vaporizing temperature can also vary with different herb materials.
Wax and Oils
If vaping concentrates (waxes) or high viscosity oils is your thing, then you can certainly find vapes suitable to this option as well. Most vaporizers come with a liquid pad (metal mesh), that can accommodate a couple of drops of oil and operate the vape as you would when vaping dry herbs.
The Investment
At some point during the selection process you have to make a decision on the budget you can allocate to your device. The vaporizers we carry are all of high standards and will all serve you for a long time no matter which one you choose, especially if you look after it.
Couple of things to consider here:
First, the cost of the machine, secondly the cost of running it and third, any additional extras.
Let me explain…
1. Cost of your machine
You have to make a decision on your budget, as when it comes to Vaporizers you pretty much get what you pay for.
Top quality devices that incorporate the latest technology and highest grade components not only operate very efficiently, but will also have a higher price tag.
These quality devices do not only create a better vaporizing experience, but also last longer and often work out better financially in the long term.
If you are planning to vape tobacco or any dry herbs, such as Damiana or Chamomile, you also need to source a herb grinder to be able to finely ground your favourite leaves or flowers. They are quiet inexpensive and some vaporizers come with it (included in the kit), such as the Storz & Bickel vaporizers.
2. Operating cost of your machine
Running high quality vaporizers do not cost much, however we do get asked this a lot, so I thought you might be interested as well.
Vaporizers work by hot air (50 – 250 Celsius) flowing through the herbs, then generating vapor. That is a similar temperature to your oven and if you ever cleaned an oven, you know how ‘dirty’ it can get.
Just like ovens, vaporizers also build up ‘resin’ on some parts that are directly exposed to the herbs and then to the out flowing vapor. That means you’ll need to clean the vaporizer parts every now and then, which calls for sourcing some rubbing alcohol, Q tips, table salt and paper towel.
If cleaning does not help anymore, then it’s time to replace your whip tube, balloon and screens to name a few. And the frequency will depend on the usage of the machine, however the cost of these parts are rather reasonably priced. We highly recommend buying your replacement parts altogether to save on shipping.
Some portable vaporizers may need battery replacements too, but they do tend to last a few years.
With gas powered vapes, you’ll need to refill the gas every now and then and the cost of this is on the lower end of the scale.
3. Cost of Add-ons
If you decided to go ahead and get a portable vaporizer, and you literally spend a lot of your time in your car, then you may need to grab a car charger for your vaporizer. This is quite easy as most portable vapes have this optional extra.
With the discovery of water attachment, these days almost all vapes can be upgraded with a water tool or aqua bubbler for that crisp refreshing vapor experience. Water bubblers make vaping more pleasant for your throat, as it cools down the vapor while adding moisture.
You can learn more about using water bubblers here and you’ll be redirected to our blog.
Choosing YOUR Vaporizer
There you have it, things you need to know about the different types of Vaporizers available and how they fit into different lifestyles and needs.
By now, you should have an idea of which one would best suit your needs, whether it’s a portable that can travel around with you, or a desktop device which can provide you with hours of vapor enjoyment in the comfort of your home.
With an inbuilt or portable battery, you can enjoy vaping alone or with friends along with the extras you fancy to have with your vaporizer.
If you are still unsure, then we have simplified the process in the below chart. You can go through it now to make sure you are making the right choice. You can cross check what each option provides in this guide.
To sum it up, many people own both portable and desktop devices, which may also be the perfect solution for you. However, if you are a beginner and only want to experiment with one, then choose the one which will suit your lifestyle best.
