What Is a Dry Herb Vaporiser?

A dry herb vaporiser is a device used to extract the active ingredients from your dry herb without lighting them on fire. Combustion has been the method used for smoking herb for the longest time, but it comes along with a long list of risks. Dry herb vaporisers or “vapes” have been developed to provide a safer alternative to smoking your herb. 

Dry herb vaporisers are great for people who:

• Are just starting out with dry herbs
• May have lung related health issues
• Don’t like the idea of smoking
• Want a more discreet and odour free way to enjoy their herb

There are many benefits to using a vaporiser over traditional combustion methods, and very few downsides. We will discuss these in greater detail throughout this article, first let’s see how these things actually work.

How Does a Dry Herb Vaporiser Work?

There are two types of dry herb vaporiser and they work in slightly different ways. The idea with both types is to use heat to extract the content (THC for example) without burning the herb. The two different ways to do this are by using convection or conduction. If you skipped over these concepts in high school physics, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s how each method works: 

Conduction:

Conduction is the process of heat transfer from a hotter object to a cooler one by direct physical contact. A stove top uses conduction to heat the bottom of your pan. In a vaporiser, there is a heating element and a chamber containing the material. The element heats up the chamber and the material inside gets hot. Simple. So simple in fact, that conduction vapes are the most common on the market due to being inexpensive to manufacture, and usually small and compact.

Convection:

Convection is the process of heat transfer in a fluid (gas or liquid) where the warmer part rises and the cooler part sinks, creating a circulation. Forget about fluids, gases and liquids for a second, that’s just how convection is defined, we’re talking about air. The air is heated, it rises, the cooler air falls to take its place and the process repeats. This creates circulation of hot air which passes through the chamber containing your herb and heats the herb this way. As you can see this is a little more complicated than “hot thing touches cold thing, makes cold thing hot”

This is why convection vapes are typically more expensive, however they do offer a more evenly heated dry herb, resulting in a better overall experience.

Which Is Better, Conduction or Convection?

Both types have their pros and cons and ultimately the best vape for you is going to depend on:

• How much you’re willing to spend 
• How portable you need it to be
• How much the flavour matters to you
• The length of your sessions

These should be some main considerations but there are certainly more factors you could think about, like where you’re likely to have your sessions etc.

Whichever vape you choose, you’re not stuck with just one forever. Experiment with what vapes suit you best and if you’re a first time buyer, just go with the best one that fits your budget and session needs.

To help you out with choosing between conduction and convection, we’ll dive a little deeper into the pros and cons for each type.

Conduction pros and cons:

The most obvious benefit of conduction vapes is their lower price tag. They are cheaper to manufacture which means they’re easier on the wallet. Other benefits include a faster heat up time, ease of use and consistent heat. All of these are due to there being a single stable source of heat; the outside walls of the chamber. 

On the flip side however, the fact that the herb is being heated from the outside-in means that it is often not heated through evenly. This leads to less extraction, less flavour and can sometimes result in waste of material due to the outside becoming used up before the centre. The material can also combust due to the temperature being more difficult to control. Makers of the more expensive conduction vaporisers will have developed ways to control this to some extent, but that comes at a cost. 

Conclusion:

All things considered a conduction vaporiser is a great intro to the world of dry herb vaporisers. They are cheap, portable, discreet and if you figure yours out, they can provide you with many great sessions to come.

Convection pros and cons:

If you’re willing to pay the extra money for a convection dry herb vaporiser, you’ll see many benefits over their conduction counterparts. Convection vapes give a more even rise in the temperature of your herb, meaning that your herb isn’t going to be wasted. This is thanks to the hot air passing through the herb rather than heat being applied from the outside. 

As well as reducing waste, you also extract the maximum amount of content and experience the full flavour of your herb.

Convection vaporisers are more complicated, and therefore more expensive to produce. This means you’re paying more for your vape.  Additionally, more energy is required to heat your herb, which leads to less battery life. They heat evenly but this also means they heat more slowly than conduction vapes. They also tend to be larger than most conduction vapes, meaning that if discretion is on your list of priorities, it may be difficult to find a convection vape that meets your needs.

Conclusion:

If you’re wanting to optimise the use of your dry herb and you want to experience the full flavour that your herb has to offer, a convection vaporiser is your best choice. On top of that they’re great for reducing odour and wasted material.

Why Choose a Dry Herb Vaporiser

Now that you know how they work, you might be wondering why you should choose one at all. There are many ways to consume your dry herb, and many of them are much cheaper than buying a new vape. However, we believe that once you try a dry herb vape, there is no going back. They are simply better in nearly every way than traditional methods.

Smoking your herb is cheap, but let’s be honest, it’s nasty and we know it. Smoke inhalation causes a large list of health issues and is not restricted to just tobacco. It is due to the plant material being combusted (burnt) that creates nasty byproducts such as tar and other carcinogens.

Vaping is widely considered to be a healthier alternative, because you skip combustion all together. Instead you only heat the herb to the point where you can extract the content, and no more. You get all the benefits and none of the nasty combustion related effects.

 

Summary: 

A dry herb vaporiser is a great alternative to smoking your herb. They allow you to get the best from your material, without the health risks associated with smoking. Dry herb vaporisers work by heating your herb and not burning it. They offer a range of benefits including ease of use, minimal waste, compact design and long lasting sessions. Dry herb vaporisers come in two different types, convection and conduction, and you’ll find a wide range of products in each. 

Chill Kiwi are proud to offer a fantastic range of dry herb vaporisers. Whether you think you want a conduction or a convection vape, we’ve got you covered. Have a look through our store and see what dry herb vaporiser would be best for you.