Dabbing Vs. Vaping Wax: Which Is Better For You?
Wax is the fastest growing trend in the cannabis industry, and with this trend we have seen an equal increase in ways to consume it. With so much interest in wax, there has been a great improvement to the wax making process as well, with more potent and clean sheets of wax being developed everyday. Wax is able to provide you with a high THC content, clean taste, and long-lasting high that is desired by all cannabis enthusiasts. For both veterans and newcomers alike, everyone can agree that you never forget your first dab. With so many customization options for your rig, nail, and strain of wax, the fun and customization never ends.
There are two main ways to consume wax, the traditional dab with a rig and nail, or vaping it either with wax or shatter. While vaping with various marijuana concentrates has exploded in popularity recently due to the discrete and convenient nature of vaping, dabbing with a nail and dabber will always be the easiest way to take the perfect size and temperature dab you are looking for. Both of these methods have many pros and cons to them, so let’s take a deeper look into why you would choose one way or the other.
VAPING WAX
By far the most convenient and time-efficient way to smoke weed, using a vape pen of any kind with concentrate can provide you with the hard-hitting potency of a dab discreetly on the go. Vaping can be done in a wide variety of ways, with a wide variety of different pens and concentrates. Rather than heat wax with a red-nail heated by a blowtorch, vape pens use coils to burn the concentrate at specific temperatures. Typical vape pens that use simple flavored liquid are often compatible with weed concentrates and oils as well, making it easy to consume your favorite strains on the go. There are a variety of different kinds of vape pens that include:
ADJUSTABLE TEMPERATURES
These pens are favorites of regular concentrate consumers, as they allow for the greatest degree of user control of the temperature it burns at. While the concentrate industry tries to adhere to a universal standard, there are bound to be better temperatures that some concentrates burn at as compared to others, and this has been proven by many users. If you are a connoisseur of different flavors of concentrate, these pens will ensure you are consistently dabbing at optimum temperature. All of the different types of vapes use a certain type of coil meant to burn a certain way and create a clean and good-temperature vape hit.
In addition, adjustable temperature wax vape pens can have the added functionality of burning regular wax AND the more liquid concentrate if you have an attachment or hybrid pen that supports both. These types of pens allow for regular wax (crumble, shatter, etc.) or the typical concentrate cartridges that are widely used.
When vaping with these types of pens, you load wax into the heating chamber area, place the mouthpiece back over (in some cases), and just press the power button to heat the wax and start vaping. Some vapes come with variable heat settings so you can fine-tune the vapor production, although many just heat the coil at a single temperature output. Normally, you pull with the button pushed down and just continue until it begins to flash or shut off.
DAB PENS
Dab pens come with a huge variety of functions, and can provide you with very powerful hits that rival that of a dab from a traditional rig. The main benefit of using dab pens is the convenience, as the many tools required with a rig are all combined into a single package. In addition, dab pens also ensure that you get a clean and perfect-temperature hit every time, rather than risking taking your dab too hot or cool with your own rig and blowtorch. Dab pens can range from being the size of a small pen to the size of the popular box mod vape pen style, and can burn either wax, oil, or concentrate. There are a wide range of portable vape pens available, and they have become extremely popular recently due to the discreet convenience they offer. These models differ in the type of wax or concentrate they can burn, their price, battery life, how much wax they can hold, and how customizable they are.
Some of the most popular vape pen styles include the magnetic design in their framework. These pens eliminate the use of threading that has historically resulted in caked wax residue, resulting in an eventually non-functional and ill-tasting hit. With the magnetic design, it is much easier to attach and remove any of the included parts, such as the mouthpiece, the chamber and battery, and even the USB charger. Also, there are box mods that can be used with your favorite concentrate or dry herb. Box mods are a great choice because of their ability to be customized in so many different aspects, giving you the ability to create your perfect vape pen.
While all of these options provide great dabbing experiences, the 3-in-1 pen offers the greatest versatility. These pens are usually the size of a normal pen and provide you with the ability to burn wax, herb, and oil in just one piece. Rather than owning multiple pieces, these pens allow you to have one simple device to consume whatever form of cannabis you want, making it a very popular choice recently.
PRO TIP:
When looking for a vape pen, try to find pens with long battery lives, as these are normally the most convenient and well built pens to own.
DABBING WAX
Although you may have heard your friends say that they are dabbing while using concentrate or wax with a vape, actual dabbing is a totally different process that results in a much different high as compared to concentrates in pen. This is most particularly due to the fact that regular dabs can be much larger and more potent than most cartridges. Dabs are fun to do, and allow you to control the size of your hit without hitting a limit due to a coil. Simply load up your dab tool with the size hit you want, heat the nail, and dab. Dabs provide mind-bending experiences that are much stronger and exaggerated as compared to the wax’s flower counterpart.
Dabbing requires the use of a dab rig which includes a nail, bong setup, torch, and dabber tool. With a vaporizer, the wax is loaded into the coil before the coil is heated. With a dab rig, the area where the wax goes is heated before the wax is applied. The dab rig is similar to a bong, but instead of a bowl for dry herbs, there is a separate attachment in the form of a nail that can be made of either ceramic, titanium, or quartz. When the nail is attached to the dab rig, the next step is to heat the nail with a blowtorch. There are now electronic nails, or e-nails, that are available to avoid using a blowtorch and to keep the temperature perfect and your rig dab ready at all times. Whether electric or a flame, the idea is to heat the nail to a high enough temperature that completely vaporizes the wax without burning it and making it harsh on the throat. Once the nail is hot, the user is to apply a “dab” of wax onto the top of the nail after letting it cool for a short period. Once the wax hits the nail, it immediately becomes vaporized, and this is when you will want to take a big pull, similar to using a bong.
Main Differences:
- Vapes are simple and easy to use and are more simple than the traditional dab rig. Just load and start vaping. Dabbing with a rig is easy and only requires a few pieces and tools.
- Vapes are far more portable. Although mini dab rigs and other products are available for dabbing, you still need a domeless nail and blow torch, not to mention a dabber tool. These pieces are not easy to lug around and can be dangerous to transport. Nothing is more portable than a small wax vape pen.
- Portable vape pens are great for a quick fix and to get you in the right state of mind, but they do not carry the same punch that dab rigs are capable of providing. Vape pens hit great and can be very potent, but it is just a different high.
Should I Be Vaping or Dabbing Wax?
As we have discussed, vaping and dabbing both have a lot of benefits to their use. Dabbing provides the potency and customizability that made them famous in the first place, while vapes allow for you to smoke on the go whenever you need a pick-me-up. Dab rigs are common with the more seasoned veterans of cannabis and smoking, as they understand the potency and size of the hits cannot be rivaled. Even so, these same veterans commonly own vape pens to take with them on the go to concerts, the movies, or anywhere you want to stay on a good level. The answer to this question really just lies in what your preferences are, and whether or not you want a home setup, quick hitter, or both. Both can provide great hits and are favorites of the cannabis community across the world.
