How to use a Vape Pen? Simple steps you should know.
How to use a Vape Pen? Simple steps you should know.
The vape pen has become quite common among cannabis consumers these days. There is a huge variety of vape pens available in the market today. As these devices are quite portable and mostly odourless, they are smoke-free, discreet and quite efficient too. Yet another added bonus they posses is that it’s really easy to learn how to use a vape pen. As many beginners are mostly not sure of how to begin and think of it to be a difficult process, here is some of the basic information needed for how to use a vape pen.
Vape pens
It is the power source that heats up the vape tank or cartridge for producing vapour. These battery-powered devices are rechargeable. They got the name ‘pen’, as they are cylindrical and pocket-sized. They first hit the market in 2010 and revolutionized the vapour market by offering different features like large battery capacity and run time. This device even provides the vaper with the ability to swap atomizers and cartridges.
Pros of Vape pen
One of its main advantages is that you can enjoy your favourite botanicals without undergoing the combustion process, reducing the risk of toxins and carcinogens to a great extend as compared to smoke. The heat levels in a vaporizer don’t reach too high to burn the vaping material. That’s why the vapour we inhale does not contain harmful chemicals like smoking.
If compared to smoking, vaporizers are incredibly discreet too. As they produce vapour and not smoke, vapes are free from the smell of burnt botanicals; being small and handheld products, vape pens can be easily used and carried along as they are quite portable.
Types of vape pens
Vape pens are used to inhale many different materials. Consumers usually call these vape pens with names that indicate what they vape. There are three main types of vape pens.
- Oil vape pens
It is also known as an oil vaporizer pen or simply an oil pen. It is used to hold liquid essential oils like botanical herbs, e-juice or vape e-liquids. These e-juice oils are available in many different flavours, among which few of them contain nicotine and are used instead of tobacco cigarettes.
- Wax vape pens
It is also known as a wax vaporizer pen or simply an ax pen. Such type of vaporizers holds thicker oils that have wax-like consistency.
- Dry herb vape pens
It is also known as a herbal vape pen. Such vaporizers hold dry herbs. These vaporizer pens are mostly used to vaporize herbs, and some people even utilize them to vape dry tobacco leaves instead of smoking.
What you want to vape
You can categorize vape pens with what material is being vaped in them and what they are compatible with. So you can select your best vaporizer by knowing what you want to vape. Today there are even vape pens available in the market which fill multiple roles. These vape pens allow you to vape multiple vape materials with their interchangeable tanks and atomizers.
Ideal heat settings
Low heat settings lack potency but provide greater flavour. As we increase the heat, so is its potency, but at the cost of less flavour while increasing the level of harmful chemicals which enter your vapour. So it all depends on what you prefer.
Button & button-less vapes
In button less or outdraw vapes, you simply take a draw or puff on the mouthpiece of the vape. When you take a draw, the air is pulled through the vape, and the atomizer of your vape is activated automatically, which heats the material of your vape and produces vapour. When you stop drawing, it shuts off automatically. These types of vapes are best for beginners.
On the other hand, you need to push the button vapes for activating the atomizer to create vapour while inhaling.
How a vape pen works
Every vape pen has its own setup, but there are three components that work for all, a battery, mouthpiece and heating chamber.
- Battery
It’s the longest part of the device and powers it.
- Mouthpiece
It is attached to the heating chamber and is the point where you draw the vapour from.
- Heating chamber
The chamber where the oil, wax or dry herbs are positioned and then heated for producing vapor. It is attached to the battery.
We place the material inside the tank, and once the vaporizer is switched on, power is provided by the battery, which heats up the heating element in the tank. This material becomes so hot because of the heating element that it vaporizes. This is its point of vaporization when the aromatic compounds of the material are turned into gaseous vapour. When the mouthpiece touches your lips, and you draw, the heating chamber shifts the vapour to the mouthpiece.
How to use a vape pen
Your vape pen should be fully charged before you start. With higher mAh ratings, your battery will take longer to fully charge, but it has more life.
For a button-operated vape pen, the power button must be clicked 5 times in rapid succession for turning on or off. To vape, you must press the button at exactly the same time when you inhale. If pressed sooner, the vapour may become too hot.
The draw activated vape pen has no buttons to play with. They mostly have a cut off time of usually 10 seconds. In such vape pens, if your puff lasts longer than 10 seconds, it shuts off automatically.
Vape pens sometimes also have additional features like preheating and variable voltage mode. With three rapid clicks, you can adjust the voltage indicated by LED lights in different colours. To find out the voltage specifications of your vape device, you should refer to the manual. The best way is to start with low settings and gradually work your way up.
- Charging its battery
The foremost thing here is that you must use the same charger which arrived with your vape pen. You must see the specs of your device and find an appropriate charger for it. Vape pens are charged normally like other small electronic devices through a USB cord. Vape pens can be charged through 2 types of cords.
- A micro USB cord of standard size can be plugged either at the bottom or at the sides of the pen.
- Threading at the top of the pen with a proprietary connection.
If you need to replace your vape pen charger and your vape pen has a standard connection, simply any other USB cord will work. Such replacement chargers only cost a couple of dollars, and you can easily find these replacements on e-bay.
- Read the instructions
When you put the battery of your vape pen to charge, meanwhile reading the manual for instructions, follow the instructions for using your vape pen, taking care of it and cleaning it for working smoothly. Also, keep in mind the information about replacing the coil and atomizers, etc.
- Run your vape pen dry
Assemble your vape pen before loading it up by the method described by its manufacturer. Set it to its highest temperature for 30 to 60 seconds. In this way, any residues left behind while manufacturing will burn off and leave you with a pure vape.
- Load your material & use
For every material, there is a different way to load it. Follow these instructions according to the material you select.
- With e-liquid
There are 2 categories of e-liquid vape pens. DTL & MTL. DTL pens produce bigger and denser clouds as they allow more airflow, whereas MTL more likely stimulates the experience of smoking as they have a tighter draw. Most vape pens these days use replaceable coils and are refillable. You have the option to fill them with nicotine strength as well as the e-juice flavour of your own choice. They are even used with CBD vape oils in a plethora of flavours.
First of all, fill your vape pens tank with a liquid of your choice, but be careful not to overfill it. Wait at least 5-10 minutes for the coil to prime. Start with a small puff and exhale it right away, and don’t hold it for long. Take some break between the puffs to check how it affects you. Once the flavour starts to reduce, replace the coil. Make sure to turn off your vape if it’s battery-operated before you put it in your pocket.
- With oil cartridges
THC and CBD oil cartridges are most commonly used with vape pens. For connecting it with the battery, you need to remove the rubber seal at the bottom of the oil cartridge. Then to start off.
After taking a small puff, wait a few minutes to judge the effects, especially with THC containing oil. For silica wicking cartridge, it should be kept at a low setting for avoiding dry hits. The recommended range for oil carts is usually 3.3-3.8 volts. Most of the new cartridges use ceramic-based vape coils and can easily handle high voltage without burning out. For a more satisfying puff, some even require a higher voltage.
- With concentrates
Cannabis vapers have another option of THC and CBD concentrates. They are also called dabs and are compatible with wax. With these dab pens, you can vape concentrates besides using a bong. Being much discreet and convenient, even CBD isolate crystals can be vaped instead of wax.
With a tabbed tool, load a minimum quantity of concentrate in its heating chamber. Gently press the fire button to prime the coil as it starts to melt your material. Hold the fire button and take a small puff. Pulse the fire button to prevent its temperature from getting too high while inhaling. To gauge the effects with THC wax, you must take a break of a few minutes between puffs.
- With dry herb
For vaping dry herb, vape pens use heating coils that don’t vaporize weed properly. The new vape pens today produce actual vapour with conduction, convection, and even combining both.
Accessories you may need
Push-button vape pens are much easier to use by adding some accessories like
- Carrying containers
The push-button vape pens being quite portable, are very fragile too. A carrying case will keep your vape pen safe and protect it from getting crushed.
- Silicone mats
For push-button vapes using wax style, using a silicon wax mat is necessary. After the wax is heated, it becomes extremely sticky, so the silicone mat works here like an ashtray and collects the extra wax. Once you are finished, just wash or dispose of the mat.
- Dabber
For a push button vape pen using wax, picking up a dabber is a good idea. You can easily scoop the wax-up with this small metal tool and put it in the heating chamber. It also removes the wax well from the pen.
Tips for maintaining vape pens
To keep your vape pen working perfectly, you need to take proper care of it. If you do so, your vape pen may last for years. Here are some tips
- Periodically clean your vape pens threads with isopropyl alcohol.
- In extremely hot and cold temperatures, keep your battery out.
- To prevent dust and dirt from entering your mouthpiece, use a case and keep the mouthpiece sanitary.
- Never overload a wax pen in order to prevent it from leaking or clogging.
- Always make sure your coil is fresh and keep spares on hand as well.
While travelling
Try disposable vape pens while travelling as it hassle-free and a great alternate. You don’t need to worry about charging a battery or its maintenance and keeping it filled. Disposable vape pens are usually more discreet and smaller in size. They are usually one-piece units without a button with no refillable heat chamber and removable battery.