Vaping is becoming increasingly more popular, and it’s popularity is growing exponentially. Why is vaping so popular? Because it comes with a bagful of benefits. It’s discreet, flavorful, safe, and even helps people quit smoking. However, even the most veteran vapers may still wonder - how do vapes work? If you’re just getting started and find yourself reading this article, you’re well ahead of the curve in preparing to purchase your first dry herb vaporizer.
We’ve put together for you a comprehensive guide on how vapes work, with all the essential things you need to know about vaporizer parts, mechanics, and more.
How Do Vapes Work?
It’s important to know that for the most part, every vape pen differs in some way or another. For instance, some have different temperatures, types, or accessories that vary from one brand or model to another.
But they all share one thing in common. Vape pens or convection vaporizers are devices equipped with heating elements to heat up the cannabis material, which creates the vapor that you inhale.
The heat generated in the vape pen activates the cannabis material so the vapor can deliver the unique effects of cannabis without requiring combustion and fire. That’s essentially how vapes work. We’ll now dive deeper into understanding the various parts of a vaporizer and the mechanics of each type.
Vape Parts Explained
Learning how to vape to the fullest also requires understanding the inner workings of vape parts. Let’s check them out one by one, and understand their unique characteristics and functions:
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Mouthpiece - The mouthpiece might be a vaporizer’s easiest part to identify. It’s the part of the vape pen where you’ll place your mouth to inhale the vapor. Mouthpieces come in different sizes and types (usually square, flat, or circular). It is from where the vapor exits when the cannabis material is heated.
- Airflow - Most high-end vaporizers are equipped with a part that helps control the airflow. This component is usually found on the side of the atomizer or the mouthpiece. By controlling the airflow, you can increase the quality or ‘flow’ of each hit.
- Button Controls - To change the temperature, wattage, or voltage, some vape devices are equipped with button controls. Others may have a button to activate the heating element. These buttons will often change colors, or be clicked a certain number of times to choose varying levels of temperature or wattage.
- Atomizer - The atomizer is an internal component of the vaporizer that is responsible for the heating process, and may sometimes be referred to as the ‘heating element’. The type of heating element or atomizer varies from model to model. The better the atomizer, the smoother the inhales will be.
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Battery - Vaporizer batteries provide the power required for the atomizer or the heating element to work. Depending on the model, the battery may be found placed internally or externally. Internal batteries cannot be removed or replaced, while external batteries can be changed. The biggest difference between internal and external batteries is the way in which you can charge them. External batteries are charged using a charger device and then reconnected to the vape cart or mouthpiece for use. For charging internal batteries, you have to connect the whole device to the charger.
- Temperature Setting - In vaporizers, different temperature settings make the cannabinoids deliver different types of effects on the vapers. Also, different temperatures affect the way in which terpenes are activated, which are responsible for the taste or flavor of the cannabis material. Most vaporizers come equipped with temperature settings that allow you to pick and choose which temperature to vape at. Other vaporizers automatically heat up to certain preferable temperatures automatically when you begin to draw.
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Wattage or Voltage Setting - The type of wattage or voltage used varies with the type of vaporizer. Many vaporizer devices also allow you to set the wattage or voltage you desire, to produce more or less vapor or bigger and smaller puffs.
- USB Charging Port - Vaporizers need to be charged to keep the battery ideally at full power. The battery or vape device comes with a USB port that connects with a micro-USB or USB-C cord to charge. These cables are the same types used to charge cell phone batteries, like those made by Samsung, Apple, or Google.
How to Inhale a Vape
Once you’ve got the answer to the question - how do vapes work? - you might think inhaling vapes is going to be easy. But did you know that there are two ways in which you can inhale vapor? The mouth-to-lung draw and the direct-to-lung draw are the two most prominent ways of inhaling vapes. Let’s dive deeper into each one:
Mouth-to-Lung Draw
When you inhale mouth-to-lung, you basically inhale the vapor, close your mouth, and hold the vapor there for a few seconds. After that you open your mouth, breathe the vapor into your lungs, and exhale it.
Direct-to-Lung Draw
In direct-to-lung inhalation, you simply inhale the vapor straight into your lungs, and immediately exhale it.
Mouth-to-lung inhalation is similar to the traditional style of smoking, while the direct-to-lung style is comparable to taking a hit from a bong.
Is Vaping Safer Than Smoking?
One of the biggest questions that people ask about vaping is if it is safer than smoking. While a definitive answer will need to be extensively researched, many experts believe vaping could be safer than smoking primarily because it has nothing to do with carcinogens.
There’s another thing a beginner to vaping needs to know. To vape cannabis safely, you first have to be aware of the fact that it can get you a high really fast.
Dry Herb Vapes: How Do They Work?
Most dry herb pens work using a convection heating system, which is similar to how an oven operates. The heating element heats the air around the dry herb or cannabis flower and begins to ‘cook’ it or transform it into vapor. The vapor is completely smoke-free, and exits the mouthpiece for inhalation.
How Do Vapes Work? Final Words
Overall, most vaporizers are self-explanatory and come with a handy manual that explains how the device works and what unique features it contains. Now that you can answer the all-important question - how do vapes work? - you can better understand your vaping device, carry out troubleshooting, and improve your vaping routines. For the highest quality vaping experience, learn more about the Firefly vaporizer now!
