What is a Vape Pen
Quick Definition
The term is interchangeably used with other words such as vaporizer, portable vape, e cig, vape, vapor pen, etc. In general, a vape pen describes a portable, electronic device that has been designed to vaporize either dry herb, wax or oils via heat generated from a battery. More specifically it best describes a portable vaporizer shaped like a pen with a thin cylindrical shape, but the term is now more broadly used to reference all sorts of portable models that don't exacly look like a pen.
Vape Pen Categories
Vape pens like the ones found here, can be used with dried herbs, wax concentrates and various oils or e juice. Some models are specific to one such as the many true vaporization dry herb vapes that are strictly for herb, but there are also the many 510 battery vape kits that can be equipped with different chamber attachments and parts that can be used with oil e juice, wax or herb. The vape pen world is filled with many options to research, compare and choose from.
Category 1 - Dry Herb Vape Pens
One of the most common vaporizers on the market, dry herb vaporizers. Herb vaping has been around long before portable vaping, unless you consider lugging around a heavy volacano vaporizer portable. To speak to the vape pen shape, the average herbal vaporizer, at least the average true vaporization vape, is not a pen shape but people often still use this term, which is okay, as long as we are all on the same page.
These herb models usually come as one unit, meaning the battery and chamber are a single device and the chamber cannot be changed out for some other chamber, nor can the battery be altered. But there are models with interchangeable battery and chamber capability. If you are strictly looking for a dry herb vape, and especially if you want a more discreet or healthier way to smoke herb, the best option is one of these all in one units. Wax and oil is different, but with herb, if you want the healthier way, that route is likely going to end with the highest rate of success with this option, especially if you are new to vaping. Below is an example of a solid vape pen option for any herb vaper seeking a device to either upgrade or get into the mix.
Category 2 - Wax Pens
In our vape shop dictionary we deeply describe everything to know about wax pens. This type is also hugely popular and only continues to grow as the concentrate market grows and develops. Unlike herb, you cannot grind up some wax and toss it in some rolling papers, blunt wraps or a glass pipe. Wax is super sticky and vaporizes at very high temperatures. The term dabbing or taking dabs developed because of wax, and that term is usually used when someone is using a domeless nail, rig and blow torch to create vapor, but that is a whole other chapter in the vape dictionary world.
For the average folk that want to enjoy some wax concentrate, to make things easy, you will want to get yourself a wax vape pen. In determining what can actually be vaped within any vape pen, the most important part is the heating chamber. Many vapes such as the Evolve Plus are designed specifically for use with wax. But other models can be equipped with all the chamber types so whether you are dealing with a micro, 510, or some other vape pen, just make sure it has a heating chamber coil equipped to vaporize wax. If you are in the market for a vape, browse these wax vape pens for sale and find the best option for you.
Where the average herbal vape has a single heating chamber made of either ceramic, steel or glass, wax vape pens come with coil attachments of an enormous array. There are single coils, double, triple and quad coils. The base of the coil was originally wick wrapped with coil but ceramic and quartz rods also exist. Pancake style coils that sit at the bottom of a ceramic chamber are popular as well and found on models such as the AGO Jr Vape Pen. The cool thing about that pancake style is that it technically can also be used with herbs, however we recommend separate chambers for each. Combining both with gunk up the chamber quickly. For some true dabbing experience, the Yocan Pandon is something that should be looked at because it has the ability to deliver dab hits with four quartz rod coils at once. Check it out below.
Category 3 - Oil Vapes
For the casual e cig vaper, there is the disposbale vape pens aka e cigs such as BLU and some other brands - usually released by big ol tobacco. For the e juice guy that prefers something that is rechargeable, and especially for those e juicers looking to blow huge smoke clouds, a Box Mod Vape with some sort of 510 oil atomizer is a great choice. The Box Mods are powerful batteries that can be equipped with all sorts of 510 threaded atomizer attachments and are popular among the e liquid community, and they are sometimes loosely referred to as a vape pen.
Outside of e juice land, when you see oil, it is often in a skinny 510 oil cartridge. So you don't really need a vape, only a battery, and then the combination of your cartridge and battery create what would be referred to as a vape pen. An average vape pen picture that may pop into your head is the long, thin, stylus pens which are commonly included with oil cartridges from a dispensary or medical office. They may or may not have a power button, can also be re-charged, but don't have the best life span. In terms of quality, to step of from that stylus pen model, a whole world of different 510 batteries exist that can work with most skinny 510 oil cartridges. They come large and small with high and low battery storage options.
For e juice vaper people, they want power, adjustable settings and all sort of functionallity. If that is the case, go with a box mod vape. Looking for a vape pen battery that will work with your oil cartridge? Check out a cool option below.
Category 4 - Multi-Use Vaporizers
The main components to a vaporizer consist of a battery, a heating chamber and the mouthpiece. Especially with wax or dry herb combustion vapes, the components are all interchangeable and replaceable which means you can also find variations of each component, speficially the heating chamber. With the same battery, you can find and attach variations of the heating chamber to accomodate anything from herb to wax or oils - just make sure you have the right attachment!
How to Use a Vape Pen
Not all vapes are created equally. Some have display screens, temperature control and other cool settings. Some are specifically for wax or herb while others can accommodate everything including oil and e liquid. So the exact specifications and directions for use will be according to the exact model in question. It is always best to refer to that specific vape pen’s instructional manual, how to videos or reach out directly to the NY Vape Shop customer service and we will help.
There are also similarities and consistencies within the vaporizer pen market. A Gizmodo article breaks down the best vape for every appetite. But ultimately it always starts with turning the battery on and off. Most vape batteries can be powered on by clicking the power button 5 times quickly in a row – the lock function keeps the battery from going off while in a bag or pocket. The average display screen will show temperature settings, battery life or some other indicator. And especially with wax pens, the coils will eventually burn out and will need to be replaced.
For more detailed information check out our online headshop based out of New York – we offer how to videos, instructional manuals and other information right on the product detail page for every product we carry.
How to Clean a Vape Pen
The exact method to cleaning a vaporizer is specific to the exact product we are dealing with. There are big differences between herbal, wax and oil vapes.xist. The best advice is to always maintain your device as time goes on. So always empty a used up dry herb chamber and Never overpack the wax coils.
The outside of all vapes can be gently wiped down with a cloth damp with water or some other cleaning product. DO NOT engage any electronic with a rag that is even close to dripping wet and always make sure the device has been powered OFF. For herb chambers the cleaning brush can be used to remove stubborn particles that won't seem to move. And with wax vapes you can use a dab tool to scrape off wax that has made its way up onto heating chamber walls, but you can avoid that by Not overpacking and ALWAYS leaving your device upright right after use - wax becomes liquid like once heated and if you lay a wax vape pen down right after a vapor session, anything left over inside with make its way up and the sides of the chamber towards the mouthpiece.
How to Charge My Vape
Just like cellphones, every vape pen has a different battery life, some charge faster than others, and not all use the same type of charger. But they all still have some basic principles just like the cellphone. The average vape on the market can be charged using a micro usb style charger and many of the common vape pen batteries screw into a usb charger.
Mah is a measurement of how much energy a battery can store, aka how long a battery last. Tech target describes a milliampere-hour as one-thousandth of an ampere hour (Ah), which can also be written as 1 mAh or 0.001Ah. In the industry, batteries can range from around 300 Mah all the way up to over 2500 Mah. The higher the storage capacity, the longer it will take to charge. So the depending on the device in question, charging time can range anywhere between 1 to 3.5 hours. Never leave the device charging over night, you never want to overcharge the device because it will have a long term affect on the total life span. Read our how to charge a vape pen blog post and get additional information.
Benefits of a Vapor Pen
1. Healthier way to smoke
Traditional smoking methods will combust dry herbs and release carcinogens that can be avoided via true vaporization. During true vaporization dry herbs are heated via the hot air and they do not combust. The hot air slowly lifts the aromas into a vapor form. The herb slowly breaks down, vapor is created but the herb never turns to ash. Find out more in our blog about True Vaporization vs Combustion.
2. Discretion
Whipping out a lighter and a glass pipe or a dab rig is not exactly discreet, and if you need to be under-the-radar than that is a problem. Vaping can be a very quick process that lasts for only seconds and many devices are small enough to just about disappear in the average hand. In addition, vapor disippates more or less right away versus smoke which lingers around. Especially with dry herbs, the vapor is far more discreet than smoke clouds.
3. Simple and Easy
With a few clicks of a button and maybe some temperature adjustments, a user can be vaping in seconds. Vapes are not complicated and once packed or loaded they can travel with you anywhere. Many have easy to use display screens that show battery meters and temperatures and most can be chargerd using a standard micro usb charger.
4. The Only Way
A skinny 510 oil cartridge cannot be packed into a bowl or rolled in papers. You may be able to drip it onto a domeless nail and make a little something out of it but just about the only way to enjoy your favorite flavors is with the use of a vape pen battery such as the SteamCloud Mini or some other 510 thread battery. Even with wax, most of us prefer a wax vape pen versus a dab rig. The dab rigs are great, but you cannot be walking around with one and the wax pen is sooo much more convenient.
Best Vape Pens - by category
It is difficult to pin point the single best vape pen, and this difficulty lies in the fact that you cannot always compare two products as apples to apples. A wax pen is different and requires certain attributes that may not be required by an herbal or oil vape. So instead of debuting a single vape, we went ahead and found a top competing vaporizer within each category - scroll below to see the 4 diferent vape kits and what category they take the prize in when it comes to the herbal, wax, oils and e liquids.
In the herbal category
The E-CLIPSE dry herb vaporizer has become very popular. It is super small at only4 inches tall and packs a 2200mah battery with 100% customizable temperature settings to fine tune your vapor experience. Pack the quality ceramic heating chamber, turn the unit on with a few clicks of a button and reach over 400 degrees in less than 20 seconds!
The wax concentrate arena
We hate to get ahead of ourselves but theSaber Vape, COMING SOON, due out in about a month is definitely a contender for number one. It features new a new magentic design that has improved off of the industries past models, plus new heat technology to optimize taste and vapor experience. STAY TUNED!
For skinny 510 oil cartridges
The SteamCloud MIni 2.0 is sort of a no-brainer. It is a big upgrade from the usual stylus style batteries that are so often accompanied by these cartridges. But the SteamCloud Mini features a 650mah battery to easily have you vaping all day plus a new side-by-side design to make it more portable and convenient to travel with, not to mention a better battery overall.
We want to pinpoint a specific model but there are a ton of great box mods on the market. With that said, we do highly recommend the SteamCloudBox mod - it is super small but powerful with a battery to easily last from day through night. But the box mod vape is just half the battle and you will also need a 510 thread atomizer attachment - the atomizer is where the coil is located and it is where the oil is poured and stored. 510 atomizers also exist for herb and wax too, so having a box mod gives you versaility in the vape world. And o yea, the skinny 510 oil cartrdiges also work with the SteamCloud and other vape mods, just keep the wattage low and only increase as needed.
How to Fix a Vape Pen
The quickest and easiest way to fix any vape pen is to, well, replace it. That is usually the best option, and depending on what you are dealing with, often is is the only option. For more ideas and options, read our guide on how to fix a vape pen with advice from fellow vapers.
Fixing a Dry Herb Vaporizer
Often the dry herb vaporizer Is a single unit. By that we mean, the heating chamber, battery and everything else is one single piece. If the mouthpiece is lost or the screens get clogged, they can be easily be replaced, and the same goes for the charger. But the vaporizer itself either operates or doesn't. The issue can be a loose wire or an issue with the PCB chip, aka the brain of the vape. Other times the battery is just dead, officially dead, no longer can hold a charge. Yes batteries are rechargeable but over time they ware away and they have a shelf life. Take the best care of your battery to make it last as long as possible.
Fixing Wax Vape Pens
Wax Vape Pens are a bit different in that they often can be broken down into main components. All wax vape components are replaceable and interchangeable. If your wax vape battery goes, again, the issue may be a wire or dead battery, but in either case, a new replacement is the route to go versus trying to fix it. But with wax vapes the typical part to go is the wax coil or chamber, and this is normal. They should not burn out quickly but over time they will, and when they do, you will need a replacement. Replacement coils are fairly inexpensive and fixing the gunky mess is likely impossible and definitely not worth it.
510 Oil Cartridges
The typical 510 oil cartridges, you know, the skinny cylindrical cartridges, they are often paired with a 510 stylus pen style battery - these are rechargeable but do not expect them to last longer than a few cartridges and they can go beforehand - so no fix, only replace. These cartridges can also be equipped to some higher grade pen batteries or the most recent thing to hit the market, the SteamCloud Mini, which we highly recommend. Higher quality batteries like the Mini will last but especially if the battery and unit are abused, they will eventually go and there is not fixing it, unless you are some trained electrical engineer, and even then, considering time and everything else, a replacement is always best - and if you deal with us and ever have an issue, just reach out and we guarantee satisfaction. Read our article about how to fix a broken oil cartridge to get more on this topic.
Box Mods are really just a battery.
Some come with a replaceable battery that can be switched out while others are built as one with the battery. If you seem to have an issue with your Vape Mod, just reach out and it may be a user error - mods are more confusing than the average vaporizer and can come with many different function controls.But at the end of the day, if your mod is having technical difficulties and it may be time for a new one.
Where to Buy a Vape Pen
Well of course we're going to have a bias and tell you to buy from us, nyvapeshop.com. Not only do we offer the vapes, vaporizer parts and accessories, but we also carry glass pipes, silicone bongs, dugout pipes, herb grinders and so much more. Of course you can get these products from the neighborhood smoke or headshop too but we ship everything in the US for FREE, so don't waste any time in traffic or long lines. And online you have options of course, but checkout our customer reviews - we guarantee your satisfaction and you can be confident that we'll be around to back up everything we offer!
