Apprentice's Guide to Vaporizers

Official Guide to Vaporizors
By: GlitterPaws
Various Information Compiled From Reliable Sources & Myself.

I. Why Should I Vape? :

Combustion aka burning your material is the most common known method to consume tobacco and herbs. During the combustion process the substance is burned releasing the active ingredients. Vaporizing has a similar effect as smoking but the substance is not burned it is vaporized.

Burning of the plant material causes the release of unwanted by-products like carbon monoxide ,dioxide, tar, ash, and other substances which are harmful to the human body and can later cause bigger issues. The unwanted substances have been found to cause cancer in most cases. Smoking is like breathing hot air which is unhealthy to our lungs and throat. You may be inhaling medicine but the method using high temperature may be causing more damage. Second hand smoking is also another factor to look at since the harmful smoke has a chance of causing cancer to other people that could be in the room.

According to many studies, twenty five to fifty percent of the substance is destroyed during the combustion process. It also decreases the effectivness of the active ingredients the plants may have. It is evident that smoking is an unhealthy method which may further cause damage to the body. Smoking also wastes resources by burning the plant material and in the process loses vital active ingredients.

Vaporizing on the other hand gently heats the plant material up to a certain degree where combustion doesn’t occur. This is achieved with digital accuracy and the effect is the release of a warm vapor with all the active ingredients. Many studies support that none of the active ingredients are lost during vaporization since fire or flame is not used to obtain the active ingredients. The process results to more of the beneficial natural substance and not just smoke.

The carcinogenic materials are also eliminated in the process since the vapor contains a very insignificant amount of tar. The vapor is also a lot cooler than smoke. This proves to be healthier than smoke which subjects the throat and lungs to irritation.

The vapor produced is slightly visible when exhaled and the vapor is almost odorless compared to smoke. The natural taste of the substance, for example of tobacco, is therefore noticeably retained.

Vaporizing produces more stimulation compared to smoking. Moreover, the unhealthy by products of smoking are eliminated with vaporizing. A number of studies have shown that delivery of the active ingredient is more efficient in vaporizing. Aside from the elimination of the undesired compounds, vaporizing delivers the active ingredient to the blood stream faster. The alleviating effect of the substance is fast and control of the dosage is very precise given the technology used in today’s vaporizers. You get more with vaporizing for using less, and people now consider vaporizing as the way to go, you should too.

II. Time to Choose a Vaporizer:

There are many different types of Vaporizers. A few factors that determine the right kind for you include: price, reliability (how long are you planning on using it), and size.

Whip-based vapes
Balloon based vapes
Direct draw based vapes
Combination vapes (bags and whips)
Portable vapes
Lightbulb vapes


-Digital Vaporizers (Whatever form of draw they may be)


-Whip Based

- Non-Digital (Method of draw may vary)


-Volcano Vaporizers (A brand name, but so popular people put them in a category of their own). It is a balloon (bag) based vaporizer.


-Lightbulb Vaporizer (For the creative one)

III. How to Operate Your Vaporizer

Right Consistency of Herbs

This most important step is often overlooked by many. Before using, herbs need to be ground to a proper consistency. You can use a herb grinder for a perfect job. In the absence of a herb grinder, a coffee grinder is a good alternative. Ensure that you just give the herbs a couple of quick spins so that they do not become a fine powder that strains through the screen. You don’t have to worry if you have no grinder. Just use a scissors or even your fingers will do. The final result should be herbs with good consistency and without clumps.

Get the Vaporizer Going

Once you have the ground herbs, turn the vaporizer on and turn the temperature to the highest. Different vaporizer units have different methods of turn-on mechanism. The temperature control is either a knob that needs to be turned or simply a switch that turns off and on. You may refer to the operating instructions of the respective vaporizer.

Loading the Handpiece/Whip

The handpiece then needs to be loaded with the herbs. This process depends on the type of vaporizer used. If you are using a handpiece with a screen attached, the herbs should be placed on the screen. Just a small amount of herbs should do as they will provide a more even vaporization. The measurements of 1/8 is enough for once.

A great way is to load the vapor whip is with vacuum power. On your vapor whip, the small glass at the tip is the mouthpiece and the larger end is the loading chamber. Put the loading chamber over a small quantity of ground herbs and suck it into the loading chamber by breathing in the mouthpiece to create the suction. This is the best way of loading the herbs.

The Process of Vaporizing

Once the herbs are loaded, you are all set for vaporization.

1.) Temperature - The first thing to check for is to see that your vaporizer is ready to be used and warmed to the required temperature as per instructions. If your vaporizer has metal heating element, the element will become hot and red. Whatever the type of vaporizer you use, it should be hot enough to be used for 5 – 10 minutes.

2.) Proper Placement - Then you need to hold the handpiece to the end of the heating element and place the plastic tube-end of the mouthpiece in the mouth.

In most vaporizers, the heating element is at a 45 degree angle,
and because of this herbs spill into the heating element when
the end is attached. If this is what your vaporizer does, you can
just give a slight suction on the vapor whip to avoid spillage. This
is quite simple to do once you get used to it.

Getting the draw - Now the next step is to get the draw. Different vaporizers operate differently. Vapor is created by drawing hot air over the herbs and through the tube into the lungs.

Each person has their own preferred method of getting the perfect draw. Some vaporizer companies advise turning the vaporizer up as high as possible and to take fast and long inhalations to get the maximum benefit. Some say that the best way is to turn the unit down a little after heating it up and then taking the draw. I prefer the first method. I slow down my draw as the element cools down.

The variations of temperature and draw speed are the crucial elements of vaporizing. You will understand this better once you gain a little experience in drawing, and you will be able to figure out what is best for you.

Final – Once you are done taking the draw, take the handpiece away from the unit to keep heat away from the herbs.

A Few Rules of the Thumb to Vaporize the Correct Way

Hot Element: It is important to draw quickly so as to not burn the herbs. As the element cools down, you may decrease the speed of your draw.

Slow Element: To create the vapor, you need to draw slow, ensuring that it is not too slow, which will burn the herbs, creating smoke.

Even armed with all this knowledge, vaporizing needs a little experimentation, and very soon you will know the style that suits you perfectly. It is all a matter of preference really.

What is the indication that all herbs have been used?

This is one of the most often asked clarifications about vaporizing and there is no perfect answer. It is really hard to say as it depends on the herbs used.

However, I can give you some pointers:

Color: When the color of the herbs changes from green to brown, it could be an indication that the herbs are spent. If they turn black, you have far exceeded the time.

Flavor: It is common to see herbs changing flavor once their essence has been devoured. Many herbs smell like burnt popcorn at this stage. In order to avoid going to such extremes, you need to learn to detect the changing flavor.

Vapor: Another great indication is, herbs fail to produce vapor at normal temperature, once they are spent. Once this happens, you must make sure you do not force the vapor out of the herbs by resorting to slow drawing on a heated element. This only results in burning the herbs and producing smoke, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid.

Whatever the vaporizer you use, you will get a hang of things after a few uses.
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Hope this has been a useful guide to vaporizing. Please feel free to contact me if you need any help!

Regards,
GlitterPaws

 

Thanks

Speaking of burnt popcorn...
You can burn a bag purposely in the microwave to eliminate smell in any room!
It won't make it smell any better in there, though, it will just cover up the smell.

 

Did it happen to be this?


+ And we should keep this thread on topic. So I'll try to cut this conversation.

 

Thanks for the compliments and the criticism!

I agree, the categories would make more sense if they were named as you mentioned.

And SkunkPatronus, I agree with you as well. The Silver Surfer is a great vaporizer, but I didn't include anything about it because it falls under a general category. The only reason I included the Volcano was because it is VERY popular and well known.

 

Anyone else?

 

Completely forgot about those. Thanks! Edited

 

Hump De Bump - Red Hot Chili Peppers