Why are People Using Concentrates?

Concentrates are the cutting edge of cannabis production and vaporizing technology. Every year the industry comes up with new and better extraction practices that produce better quality extracts. The era of the anonymous cartridges is over.

The trend is increasing of large grow operations producing huge amounts of cannabis. The highest quality hydroponic cannabis is cloned, perfected, and flash frozen to produce the most concentrated THC that man has ever known. These concentrates can be purchased as crystal clear THC which disappears completely when burned. Or sticky sauce. No matter what form your concentrate comes in, you can be confident that the best marijuana in America is being flash frozen and turned into high quality concentrate. So… once you’ve got your hands on some of the best herb in America … make sure you choose the best way to hit it!

Should I Vape Wax Concentrates?

The best way to consume your wax concentrates depends on the kind of concentrate that you have purchased. There are many kinds of wax concentrates, such as shatter, crumble, and distillate to name a few. In general, you should plan to vape your wax concentrates if:

• It’s A Liquid If you’re dealing with a syringe full of liquid, you have likely purchased a form of distillate. Distillate should almost always be vaped (the exception would be those syringes which specifically state on the packaging that the tips are steel or heat resistant.) These distillates come in a plastic or glass syringe most of the time.
• It’s Dry and Crumbly If you have a vape pen, or other small, handheld portable vaporizer, you’ll also be well served by vaping your concentrates which are sold as crystalline or crumble. These two forms of THC concentrate are essentially THC ‘budders’ and ‘waxes’ which have had all of their moisture removed. This makes them far dryer than other concentrates, and therefore less likely to leave any sort of residue on the coils or tank. The smaller the vape, the more difficult to maintain. Dry concentrates are also ideal for someone who is looking to stretch the life expectancy of an inexpensive vape pen or vaporizer.
• You Have Shatter And a High-End Vape If you’ve made the investment in a not-so-portable desktop vaporizer which has an attachment for concentrates, you should most certainly use it to vape some high quality shatter. A system with water filtration will allow you to taste the terpenes suspended in the sticky chunks.
• You Prefer to Buy Cartridges There are a lot of top of the line cannabis production houses which only produce cartridges. If you want to sample their wares, your only option is to purchase their pre-packaged cartridges. Cartridges can be used with a variety of batteries. Customize your vape experience with the right wattage or voltage to get the hit you want. Make sure you do not go too high on power, as you might blow the cartridge’s atomizer. Cartridges create the most care-free cannabis consumption imaginable. If this level of discretion is your ideal, you should definitely vape your concentrates.

How Do I Dab Wax Concentrates?

Dabbing is possibly the most labor intense way to consume any form of marijuana. It requires a significant amount of equipment, as well as a sizeable amount of know-how. Unlike most methods of consuming cannabis, this one presents the very real possibility of someone actually hurting themselves. If you’re going to dab your wax concentrates, you’re going to need to set aside a little time and plan it out, it’s not really a spur of the moment thing.

Dabbing can be accomplished using any number of devices, often called ‘rigs’. A rig often looks like a bubbler or small bong without affixed to the downstem. Instead of a bowl, the waterpipe has a surface or ‘nail’ made of titanium, ceramic, or quartz. (These materials have various advantages and disadvantages, the the ideal depends upon the concentrate that you’re dabbing and your preferred dabbing experience.)

In order to use the dab rig, the nail must be heated to the correct temperature, which is commonly done using a small blow torch. The sort of small kitchen torch used to caramelize sugar will do just fine. Some dabbers also make use of a point-and-read, hand-held thermometer, but most rely on the appearance of the nail. The most common advice is to wait until the surface is red hot, stop heating, then allow the surface to cool until it glows orange. Dabbers with electric nails can simply plug in the device and wait for the period of time prescribed by the manufacturer.

Once the nail reaches the right temperature, the dabber should apply a small amount of shatter or wax to the heated nail. Begin to inhale, then ‘cap’ the nail with the provided dome (aka carp cap). Continue to inhale as one typically would with any sort of bong or water pipe.

As you can see, dabbing is a fairly intensive process. Take it slow if you do not regularly dab, the effects are strong. Dabbing comes on very rapidly, and even the most filtered smoke will often have a harsh burn. Dab with the rig on a mat and place it on a table, rather than holding the equipment in one’s lap as is common with bongs.

Dabbing Wax vs Vaping Wax

There are a lot of important things to consider before you decide to invest in a wax vape pen or dab rig. Dabbing may involve equipment which looks like a bong, but the maintenance is not the same. Regular dabbers should expect to regularly purchase supplies for torches and eventually some sort of hand-held thermometer. The residue left on the physical aspects of the water pipe is stickier than traditional resin and it requires somewhat more effort in order to clean.

Vaping is currently the cutting edge of cannabis paraphernalia technology and improving tanks and batteries is a high priority for the cannabis vape market. Vapes do much more than they did five years ago, producing stronger hits without leaking. They are incredibly portable and discrete, to a level that permanently changes your cannabis consumption experience.

Still not sure what equipment you should go with? Here’s a few fast facts about dabbing vs vaping

• Vape Pens are simple to use and designed to be incredibly user friendly. Some vapes have color-coded temperature control, one-button controls, and a universal battery type. Some vapes allow you to control the temperature of your vape by individual degrees, control the vape via a phone app and even vape while the unit charges. The number of features and options makes it easy to find a unit you love.
• Dabbing allows you to consume every type of concentrate, regardless of water saturation, extraction method or texture. Solid shatter and liquid distillate can both be dabbed. Creamy, sticky, budder can be dabbed. If you’re willing to spend the time and money to set up a dab rig, you can get a great hit off of any form of concentrate.
• Vapes are made to be portable. Vapes can also be disposable. None of the hassle involved with maintaining a vaporizer or vape pen comes with a disposable. A vape pen can be used to vape nearly any sort of concentrate when it is disposable, since one doesn’t have to worry about removing the residue later.
• Dabbing has become a social phenomenon. Just as many groups of friends gather around water pipes and bongs, so do many groups of friends gather and take dabs. The ritual and routine involved makes it a great activity for a small group of friends gathered on a couch.

Should I Vape or Dab?

YES. At the end of the day, the real question is what you like best and what best suits your lifestyle. If you have time to pull out an elaborate rig and dab every time you want to hit your concentrates, be my guest. If you prefer the ease and portability of a vape, that’s just fine too. The most important thing to do is make sure that you invest in quality equipment. What does that mean?

• Buy a vaporizer that is designed to vape the substances that you like to vape. Don’t buy a dry herb vape pen if you like liquid distillate. Take hits on a vape made for the right type of concentrates you are using.
• Buy a thermometer. If you dab without a way to determine the temperature of your nail you’re going to end up wasting a lot of product by burning it into nothing. It isn’t going to taste good and it isn’t going to have any of the effects you’re looking for. Dabbing isn’t cheap to begin with, if you’re going to go for it, make the investment.
• Buy for the life you have, not for the life you want. If you usually smoke at home, don’t buy a vape pen because you think you’ll go hiking “someday”. Likewise, if you like to consume on the go, don’t invest in a fancy home-dab-rig because you think you’ll “start dabbing at home.” Know yourself, and buy whatever will fit most comfortably into your life.

Hope you find the information useful. And as one community sharing the same interest and passion everyone is encouraged to post in the comments below or discuss in our forum!