Getting smoked out doesn’t mean you have to spark up.
By Sean Tirman, Amanda Reed, and Tyler Chin Liquid Vape
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With the number of states legalizing cannabis increasing — and the number of medical marijuana patients going up — it’s never been easier to access the healing properties of cannabis. However, ripping a bong or hitting from a pipe can draw unsavory reactions, whether from pesky landlords who would catch a whiff from an open window or roommates who can’t take the lingering smell (no matter how much air freshener you use).
That’s where weed vapes come in.
Vaporizers offer a level of discreteness that joints, bongs and pipes can’t match. Even better, vaporizing weed can get you higher while using less product.
To find out which brands make the best weed vapes, we tested an assortment of options from the biggest names in vaporizing. These 16 were our team’s favorites.
Looking for more vetted cannabis recommendations? Check out our guides to weed strains, rolling papers, bongs, storage containers, grinders, electric weed grinders, pipes and cannabis apps.
The best way to get a feel for how a given cannabis vaporizer works is by using it regularly, which is exactly what our testers did with their respective vapes. While some were used for a few weeks, the majority have been utilized over the course of months and, in some cases, even years. Special attention was paid to the vapes’ user-friendliness, convenience, portability, battery life, vapor quality, bowl size and even efficiency.
To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.
After more than six years on the market, the industry-leading Pax 3 weed vaporizer has finally, officially been supplanted by the next generation from the same brand. Called the Pax Plus, this vaporizer can still do everything that its predecessor can do — smoke both dry herb and concentrate, swap modules on the fly, work with a single push of a button, heat to exacting temperatures, super simple USB charging, etc. — but it does all of them just a little bit better. It’s also slightly smaller, the pieces are easier to swap out, the instructions are clearer … the list just keeps going.
It’s worth noting, however, that our reviewer found that the changes, while numerous and varied, are somewhat incremental. That is to say, users of the Pax 3 will probably find the Pax Plus to be very familiar and, perhaps, even a little lackluster in its suite of upgrades. Still, the 3 was such a great weed vape that to improve on it at all is an achievement. And that makes the Pax Plus worthy of the top spot on our list.
You’re guaranteed to be satisfied if you purchase any G Pen vaporizer for your flower. However, the G Pen Dash — Grenco Science’s newest addition to its portfolio of dry herb vaporizers — is an excellent option for beginners purchasing their first vape or for those looking for something simple and discreet that gets the job done. The controls are easy (press the main button five times to turn on and off and press it three times to change between three heat options) and the buzzy haptics, combined with the aluminum alloy body, give it a nice feel in the palm of your hand.
You want the Storz & Bickel experience in the palm of your hand? Look no further than the Mighty. The battery-powered Mighty uses a combination of full hot air convection heating and additional conduction, which ensures an efficient vaporization from the first draw. Like the Volcano Hybrid, it has an LED screen for precise temperature control. It has 500 reviews and is rated at five stars for a very good reason.
Our tester discovered, after finally using the Mighty+ (a slightly upgraded version of the Mighty our tester says is worth the extra cash) over several weeks, that the hype for this device is dead-on. It’s a bit large (so it isn’t great for travel use) but it is effortless to use, lightweight, doesn’t heat up in hand, offers precision temperature every time you use it and so much more. If you can afford it (and it is, admittedly, quite expensive), this is the one to get.
While it is named similarly to our best budget vape, the G Pen Dash, this is a completely different beast — a very good thing, in this case. Much more feature-rich and user-friendly than its smaller, cheaper sibling, the Dash+ is a world apart, offering a far greater swath of capabilities that translate to an overall better experience. The one downside: it’s a good deal larger than its namesake.
If you can look past the size increase, however, this vape stands among the best of them, perhaps even beating out the Pax Plus for some users (especially those in search of a clearer, more fleshed-out user interface). It’s not without issues, our tester notes, as the magnetic cap still heats up too much and is easy to knock off. But the trade-off (features like a flat base, which make it easier to load) is well worth it.
The DaVinci IQC is truly a vape designed to share with its antimicrobial mouthpiece, large bowl, 8-minute session length, solid battery life, and incredibly full vapor it is suitable to get a whole group toasted with straight flower. Out of the box, the IQC is incredibly intuitive to use & if you want to adjust features like session length and temperature intervals an app is available for IOS and Android. The glass-lined ceramic bowl on the bottom of the device is fairly easy to pack and keep clean and the wide ceramic zirconium vapor pathway contributes to a cool smoke.
Our tester found that the IQC produced incredibly cool, flavorful and full vapor when sipped on and was impressed by the volume of vapor output by the device. It’s the first dry herb vape our tester reported was able to do smoke tricks on. Although we haven’t tested the ShareSafe antimicrobial mouthpiece under a microscope just yet, the FDA’s approval of the material gave our tester peace of mind when sharing with friends.
If you’re a fan of good-looking gear of any kind, the AirVape Legacy Pro might be the vape for you — so long as you can afford the price tag. It’s made with high-end materials (like ceramic, vegan leather and 24K gold plating) and looks almost like a sleek piece of musical equipment (perhaps a studio microphone). Better still, it is super simple to use, even for a first-time user (as our tester discovered).
It also has a big, powerful battery, ultra-quick heating — one of the shortest our tester experienced — and it pulls a great amount of smooth vapor, even right out of the box. Unfortunately, the way the bowl works makes it easy to make a mess of (the whole front panel opens up like a door and the bowl is situated toward the bottom, facing out). But, besides that minor annoyance, our tester had nothing but good things to say about this luxurious vape.
Best Affordable Portable Weed Vape
There’s so much to love about the Starry: it’s incredibly portable, is made of quality materials and the price is absolutely unmatched. It’s one of the best conduction vapes under $100. Additionally, it comes with a concentrate cup that fits perfectly into the flower chamber, allowing you to enjoy a dab if you want. My favorite feature is the 5- or 10-minute shutdown timer so I know when it’s going to turn off automatically. And, with an anodized aluminum body, magnetic lid enclosure and ceramic zirconia mouthpiece, it feels luxurious without breaking the bank.
The newest all-new offering from Storz & Bickel in about a decade, the Venty was worth the wait — at least according to our tester. While this devices definitely sits at the very tippy top of the price pyramid, checking in at an eye-watering $449, the technology might make the cost seem more than worth it to some. That’s because this is the first-ever vape with an adjustable airflow, and it can heat up in just 20 seconds flat.
While its larger size (like a TV remote, but thicker) makes it more suitable for home use (it’s not particularly portable), the smoothness of its hits and the convenience of its speed and robust battery make for an exceptional overall package … if you can afford the investment, of course.
The Launch Box, much like vinyl records and cassettes, gives a slow, analog feel in a world filled with fancy digital tech. And, much like its name suggests, it will send you to the moon. There’s so much more to love about it than that, however. It’s made by local artisans in San Diego, California, and is sourced from natural and renewable materials. The quote on the back of the Launch Box, along with the company mission, is absolutely inspiring — the former almost made me cry upon opening the box. It’s a conversation piece, it provides a completely different experience compared to other vaporizers on the market and it can get you high. What more could you want from an object in your home?
Unlike the original Puffco Peak, the Peak Pro has a sensor in the concentrate chamber that communicates with the device, keeping the temperature at where it needs to be regardless of how much you inhale or how much concentrate you put in, giving a controlled and consistent dab experience. The app allows for setting a custom temperature outside of the four pre-programmed heat settings, the ability to save custom heat profiles and flashy functionalities like LED customization (although the Stealth mode is useful for public dabbing). If you’d like a dabbing contraption that fits in your pocket, the Peak Plus ($89) is a great option.Our tester found that this rather expensive offering is also a pretty big pain to clean — although skipping on the frequency won’t affect the quality of the device as much as its appearance. However, they did discover that it is also very easy to clean and is both convenient and safe to use, especially for people that are perhaps a bit clumsy.
“Vapor the way you like it without the need for apps or gimmicks,” reads the product listing for the Solo II. Using the Solo II mirrors that phrase: the Solo II is tanky, frill-less and delivers clean, smooth vapor thanks to its hybrid heating system. I personally wouldn’t use the Solo II outside of my house because of the glass tube, but it can be done. Make sure to use the included stainless steel filter screens, or you will accidentally breathe in a small fleck of cannabis, just like I did.
“Building something for the flashy look doesn’t give you the best experience,” says Andy Lytwynec, vice president of global company vape business at Canopy Growth, which owns Storz & Bickel. That’s absolutely true with the Volcano Hybrid: Although the Volcano resembles a Subaru Outback, it’s considered the Rolls Royce of cannabis ingestion. While testing the Volcano Hybrid, I only wrote “I am so upsettingly stoned” in my notes. The Hybrid differs from the Volcano Classic with the inclusion of a digital display with custom temperature settings, the addition of a hookah-like tube for more casual consumption when you don’t want to use one of the famous bags and app capabilities for Android users. Having a Volcano is a stoner flex, and there’s a reason why.
The Roam is perfect for dabbing on the go or if you’re just very clumsy and don’t want to break a concentrate vaporizer that’s primarily made of glass. It’s compact, spill-proof, heats up fast, has a great LED screen and comes with a sturdy travel case. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to use. This was the first product I tested and I had never used a concentrate vaporizer before, let alone hit a dab. The included shovel-like dab tool also rocks, rivaling all other included dab tools with concentrate vaporizers.
Instead of choosing a conduction vape or a convection vape, go for a hybrid, which brings the best of both words — conduction heat is applied directly to the dried herb, and convection heat circulates hot air to avoid burning. And if you’re going for a hybrid, opt for G Pen’s Elite II. Too many hybrid vapes are bulky and unsightly, but the Elite II manages to be portable and discreet. We liked how quickly it heats up so you can get to vaping right away. With its easily controllable interface, you can target specific temperatures for a variety of terpenes, which is a huge plus.
Best Vape for Lightweights: DaVinci Miqro-C
Best Weed Vape for Lightweights
Davinci’s Miqro-C is a small-but-mighty weep vape for those who aren’t looking to take bong-sized rips on the daily. With its easy-to-use design and well-built body, the Miqro-C is the weed vape we find ourselves grabbing for a quick dog walk or late-night stroll. The vape actually makes vapor taste good to the point that you actually start to get cravings for certain terpenes. You’ll need to charge this thing pretty frequently, but you can always buy an inexpensive second battery to go on a vaping marathon.
Our tester found that this vape is great for casual users, as it is easy to use, portable, discreet and easy to clean. However, the small battery needs to be recharged often, which is a bit of a drawback.
While they certainly aren’t our favorite form of partaking in the enjoyment of THC, there’s no denying the convenience and simplicity of a solid vape pen, like the Pax Era Pro. The more expensive of the brand’s two weed pens, this one has a longer battery life — good for 250 puffs per charge — and boasts haptic feedback for even simpler use.
It’s also worth noting that Pax claims that its pods are made from food-safe, medical-grade materials and are “free from harmful heavy metals, toxins and contaminants.” That gives them a leg up in a sea of competitors and lends credence to the device being a little more expensive than others. Just keep in mind: you can only use Pax Era pods with this device.
Probably. According to Mitch Earleywine, professor of psychology at the University at Albany, SUNY, and author of Understanding Marijuana, data from his lab shows that switching to vaporizing decreases respiratory irritation and increases lung volume in heavy users. And, compared to using oil vape pens that work with a 510 thread battery and a cartridge, there are proven health benefits to ingesting cannabis via herbal and concentrate vaporizers. However, Earleywine says to keep the temperature low to prevent lung irritation.“Those who are careful not to overheat the plant are bound to see respiratory irritation improve in as little as a month,” he says. “Those who crank up the temp likely do not benefit.”
Besides purchasing from reputable brands, Earleywine says to “start low and go slow” to prevent getting so high that you start thinking too much about climate change.
“Users suggest that they are accustomed to smoking and knowing the magnitude of the effects fairly quickly, often within a minute,” he says. “In contrast, they describe vaporized cannabis as ‘a creeper,’ in the sense that the subjective effects get larger over the first 15 minutes or so. Many claim their first use of the vaporizer led them to ‘over-medicate,’ so to speak.”
There are also significant ethical considerations to ingesting cannabis. BIPOC are still disproportionately affected by petty drug crimes while states legalize marijuana. Work toward restorative justice by making regular donations to mutual aid groups that help incarcerated people or organizations like the Last Prisoner Project, which works to permanently reverse the injustice toward those who have suffered criminal convictions due to the War on Drugs. Additionally, you should support companies that donate to or have cannabis criminal justice reform initiatives in place.
Unlike bongs, pipes and joints, which use a direct flame as the means of releasing the cannabinoids in marijuana, convection and conduction vaporizers use heat — more like an electric oven than, say, a campfire.
Conduction vaporizers use direct heat contact to release the cannabinoids in marijuana. However, the direct heat means that there’s a possibility you could burn your weed. These devices tend to be cheaper, portable, heat up faster and tend to be easier to use.
Convection vaporizers, on the other hand, use the transfer of heat — think of it like cooking something in an air fryer — to heat up the cannabis. Instead of directly heating the weed, heating elements in convection vaporizers heat the air, which is forced around and through the herb. Convection vaporizers tend to be more expensive and less portable than their conduction counterparts but provide better vapor quality and flavor along with even heating.
Hybrid vaporizers use both convection and conduction, sometimes swappable, sometimes in tandem.
Dry herb refers to pulverized or ground weed, which is placed into a weed vape, then cooked at a certain temperature until vapors are released. When people talk about “flower,” this is usually what they are referencing.
Concentrates, which are typically used in vape pens (usually cartridges) but can be used in other vapes, as well, are exactly what they sound like: concentrated weed that usually comes in a kind of gel or sometimes crystallized format. The plant is treated so that only the desired compounds from the weed are extracted, hence its condensed form. Dabs, for instance, are a type of concentrate, as is hash oil.
Hybrids are somewhat uncommon, but they do exist. Essentially, these combine both dry herb and concentrates so that you get the best of both worlds. Pax’s new Inflused Flower Pucks are a good example of this type. Usually, this type is used in dry herb or hybrid vaporizers, and not in vape pens.
It’s difficult to say any is better than the others. With dry herb, you have to deal with carrying around all that herb, but it’s also mellower than concentrates. Concentrates are more discreet, but because of the way they’re treated, it’s possible that they can become exposed to heavy metals, toxins or carcinogens. Concentrates also provide a much more potent effect on the user. And hybrids, while having the upsides of both, also come with their own downsides, including their rarity.
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