Vaporizing 101

[llamabox]

Vaporizing 101
By: Matt Hudson vaporist

What is vaporizing?

Well vaporizing is when heat instead of flame is used to combust Cannabinoids, or other active ingredients in herbs. Cannabis resin or THC has a combustion rate which is thought to be in the 450F temperature range. So by lighting your cannabis or herb your adding carbon to your gas. If you vaporize your cannabis you will only be activating cannabinoids, chlorophyll, etc. So instead of a black flaky substance you are left with brown plant matter.

The history of vaporization.

No one really knows how the idea of vaporizing cannabis came about. However the earliest invention of vaporization is probably the Jamaican steam pipe. This involves creating a water pipe but with three chambers. One for water, one for your cannabis, and another for a hot coal. As the hot coal is placed on its container the user sucks down the hot air over the cannabis to create vapor. So far this is the oldest method of vaporization I can find.


Modern Vaporization.

Modern Vaporization did not start until around the mid 1990’s. During this time some nations were embracing the idea and legislation of medical marijuana, such as proposition 215 in California (1996 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_215), and the Ontario Court of appeal Terry Parker Decision (1999/2000)     Various compassion clubs and users were trying to find ways to reduce the harm associated with smoke and to have a fast rapid delivery system. As both analogue and digital technologies grew so have the contraptions.

Some of the earlier modern versions involved mostly conduction. These are usually soldering irons. However carbonization would and did occur quiet easily. Since there was very little or no temperature control carbonization or “smoke” would occur. These vaporizers are still sold today at a very small price and have been on the market since the 1970’s. Unfortunately the technology has virtually not improved. In some circumstances units caused electrical fires due to faulty wiring.

The next step in the evolution of the vaporizer was to come in the form of heat guns. The advent of digital readouts or analogue control on heat guns. Along with the idea of heat guns used on bongs glass blowers were now making special heat gun bowls in which there was a deep chambers to fit both weed and gun into. Alas the analogue until were prone to carbonization if the gun was placed improperly within the bowl.

One of the biggest inventions within the vaporize industry has been the forced air system. This involves forcing hot air by fan over cannabis. The first vaporizer to perfect this was the Volcano Vaporizer. Its prescribed distance and fan speed made this the ideal vaporizer on the market. The original patent for the volcano was filed in the United States on June 21 1996.

However the complexity of this 23 pieced machine made this a fairly expensive unit when it came out which was the $800 dollar range. This was the major draw back for users as many did not have the money to purchase or to try. Since it’s inception a new digital read out unit was invented and the price of original unit went down.

Currently there are three type’s of vaporizers forced air convection, manual draw convection (whip), conduction.


What type of vaporizer is right for me?

This all depends on your budget. You can make a vaporizer for as little as 5 dollars. These would involve glass and lit flame to bake you cannabis. I however do not recommend doing this as it is easy to burn your herb. These are the bottom end of vaporizers.

The next step would be manual draw convection. These units can go as low as 100 dollars to as high as 300. Generally units such as the silver surfer, hot box vaporizer, and vapor daddy have heated electric glass pieces. These are fairly nice because glass is the safest material to ingest cannabis. Depending on the units design someone can easily use without burning herb. Others take a while to getting use to before you learn not to burn cannabis.

Some people actually prefer the whip style for a few reasons. One, you can easily tell when you cannabis is done by immediate taste. According to some the herb taste fresher upon manual draw. Second, your herb can be removed from the heat source to ensure that no other cannabinoids are vaporized between inhalation. Third with the advent of digital technology digital read outs are now being added to these units at a minimal cost. However the down fall to these units, is that medical users can not physically hold their chamber to heating area.

The most popular style vaporizer is the forced air convection. These involve complicated parts such as pumps, fans, heaters, and controls. So this eludes to a high price range. Generally these units will cost 300 dollars minimum. But are well justified. First off forced air units come with bag systems. This enables the user to enjoy their vapor away from the unit and allows for easy access. These units are ideal for people who suffer from MS, Arthritis, and other muscle illnesses. Because the cannabinoid's are vaporized evenly with less CBD release (the kind that make you sleepy).

I am purchasing a vaporizer what are the benefits from vaporizing?

Well first off according to a study by the University of California, San Francisco

“Using CO as an indicator, there was virtually no exposure to harmful combustion products using the vaporizing device. Since it replicates smoking's efficiency at producing the desired THC effect using smaller amounts of the active ingredient as opposed to pill forms, this device has great potential for improving the therapeutic utility of THC”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporizer

It seems that the biggest danger associated with cannabis smoking is within ignited and therefore carbon associated with smoke.

Most users also report there being more efficiency with vapor. Since most cannabinoids are burned off and not ingested between inhalation. Also not all the bad cannabinoids are combusted leaving the user more energized after the initial come down off of the drug. There is also low odor when vaporizing compared to smoking.

What should I think about when purchasing my vaporizer?

Price. This is the single biggest issue when it comes to a unit. Spend to little and you could wind up with something that will make you unhappy a few months down the road. Spend too much and you could be wondering if you could have gotten a better deal. Generally the more you spend on a unit the better it will be. The ideal vaporizers will run between 200-400 dollars while the premiums can go for as little as 300-1000 dollars.

Functionality. Are you a single person who likes to toke alone? Then maybe a manual draw unit such as the Silver Surfer Vaporizer is more suited to you. Or maybe you have MS and maybe have one or two friends over at a time you might want to go for a herbal aire. Or maybe you’re a popular person or you do not have any fine momentum within your hands. Then a volcano vaporizer with the easy valve system seems right for you.

Research! This is absolutely essential. Buying a vaporizer is pretty much the stoner equivalent to buying a car. Some might absolutely love a Ford Focus while others might hate it. This is the goal of both myself and this forum. To provide education, and information to the cannabis or herb consumer. Please don’t just go into one head shop and decide what unit your going to buy within 10 minutes. This is a very important purchase that one should think through. Also some head shop owners are being greedy and adding 100-200 dollar mark ups.

Okay I’m Sold. But what about my countries power system?

This is probably one of the most trying obstacles facing the vaporizer market. While some manufactures tend to build units with different plugs and voltage capabilities others do not accommodate this. Or some products have dual voltage capabilities but do not manufacture your countries plug. For electrical and plug standards for your country please visit this site.


WARNING IF YOUR UNIT IS 120/220V DUAL DO NOT USE A VOLTAGE ADAPTER! AS THIS CAN CAUSE ELECTRICAL FIRES ONLY USE PLUG ADAPTERS!!!!!

Please contact the manufacture of the vaporizer your considering buying so you can get a good indication of product support and product compatibility.

Vaporizing in the future? Where are we going?

Vaporizing will indeed be the future of cannabis consumption. With the recent studies supporting the theory that the majority of the risks associated with cannabis can be minimized this will be the last nail in the coffin of cannabis prohibition. Also with the world wide restriction or tobacco smoking vapor lounge’s are popping up all over the place.

Currently the two biggest North American lounge’s I know of are Marc Emery’s CC HQ located on 307 West Hastings in Vancouver Canada. The second is one I frequent quite often. Vapor Central Located at 667 Younge Street Second Floor in the heart of downtown Toronto Canada  .http://www.vaporcentral.com/
If you visit Amsterdam various coffee shops will have various models.

As for the units themselves they keep getting smaller and more portable. Most notably the VM3 pocket digital vaporizer. Some units now actually have remote controls on them as well. The next 5 years we will see major improvements in the vaporizing market. As technology grows so does our vapor devices.

 

*broken links removed*

[christinax4]

nice post. Initially when i bought my vaporizer i overcooked the weed alot at first. i found that if i lowered the dial

(i have an old school box, no temp readout)to about midway it would draw it out slower, but i could shut it off or pull

the tube at the first sign of decent effects. That way my meds last longer. Boy o boy tho, i went thru my stash twice as fast

as my normal bowl smoking method. To make it really last, i go back to smoking out of my dugout occasionally...

brings my tolerance down, so i don't need as much...i felt like my tolerance really went up using the vape...anyone else notice that?

[luvindragonflys]

 

 

Vaporizing 101
By: Matt Hudson vaporist

What is vaporizing?

Well vaporizing is when heat instead of flame is used to combust Cannabinoids, or other active ingredients in herbs. Cannabis resin or THC has a combustion rate which is thought to be in the 450F temperature range. So by lighting your cannabis or herb your adding carbon to your gas. If you vaporize your cannabis you will only be activating cannabinoids, chlorophyll, etc. So instead of a black flaky substance you are left with brown plant matter.

The history of vaporization.

No one really knows how the idea of vaporizing cannabis came about. However the earliest invention of vaporization is probably the Jamaican steam pipe. This involves creating a water pipe but with three chambers. One for water, one for your cannabis, and another for a hot coal. As the hot coal is placed on its container the user sucks down the hot air over the cannabis to create vapor. So far this is the oldest method of vaporization I can find.

Modern Vaporization.

Modern Vaporization did not start until around the mid 1990’s. During this time some nations were embracing the idea and legislation of medical marijuana, such as proposition 215 in California (1996 http://en.wikipedia....Proposition_215 ), and the Ontario Court of appeal Terry Parker Decision (1999/2000) . Various compassion clubs and users were trying to find ways to reduce the harm associated with smoke and to have a fast rapid delivery system. As both analogue and digital technologies grew so have the contraptions.

Some of the earlier modern versions involved mostly conduction. These are usually soldering irons. However carbonization would and did occur quiet easily. Since there was very little or no temperature control carbonization or “smoke” would occur. These vaporizers are still sold today at a very small price and have been on the market since the 1970’s. Unfortunately the technology has virtually not improved. In some circumstances units caused electrical fires due to faulty wiring.

The next step in the evolution of the vaporizer was to come in the form of heat guns. The advent of digital readouts or analogue control on heat guns. Along with the idea of heat guns used on bongs glass blowers were now making special heat gun bowls in which there was a deep chambers to fit both weed and gun into. Alas the analogue until were prone to carbonization if the gun was placed improperly within the bowl.

One of the biggest inventions within the vaporize industry has been the forced air system. This involves forcing hot air by fan over cannabis. The first vaporizer to perfect this was the Volcano Vaporizer. Its prescribed distance and fan speed made this the ideal vaporizer on the market. The original patent for the volcano was filed in the United States on June 21 1996.

However the complexity of this 23 pieced machine made this a fairly expensive unit when it came out which was the $800 dollar range. This was the major draw back for users as many did not have the money to purchase or to try. Since it’s inception a new digital read out unit was invented and the price of original unit went down.

Currently there are three type’s of vaporizers forced air convection, manual draw convection (whip), conduction.


What type of vaporizer is right for me?

This all depends on your budget. You can make a vaporizer for as little as 5 dollars. These would involve glass and lit flame to bake you cannabis. I however do not recommend doing this as it is easy to burn your herb. These are the bottom end of vaporizers.

The next step would be manual draw convection. These units can go as low as 100 dollars to as high as 300. Generally units such as the silver surfer, hot box vaporizer, and vapor daddy have heated electric glass pieces. These are fairly nice because glass is the safest material to ingest cannabis. Depending on the units design someone can easily use without burning herb. Others take a while to getting use to before you learn not to burn cannabis.

Some people actually prefer the whip style for a few reasons. One, you can easily tell when you cannabis is done by immediate taste. According to some the herb taste fresher upon manual draw. Second, your herb can be removed from the heat source to ensure that no other cannabinoids are vaporized between inhalation. Third with the advent of digital technology digital read outs are now being added to these units at a minimal cost. However the down fall to these units, is that medical users can not physically hold their chamber to heating area.

The most popular style vaporizer is the forced air convection. These involve complicated parts such as pumps, fans, heaters, and controls. So this eludes to a high price range. Generally these units will cost 300 dollars minimum. But are well justified. First off forced air units come with bag systems. This enables the user to enjoy their vapor away from the unit and allows for easy access. These units are ideal for people who suffer from MS, Arthritis, and other muscle illnesses. Because the cannabinoid's are vaporized evenly with less CBD release (the kind that make you sleepy).

I am purchasing a vaporizer what are the benefits from vaporizing?

Well first off according to a study by the University of California, San Francisco

“Using CO as an indicator, there was virtually no exposure to harmful combustion products using the vaporizing device. Since it replicates smoking's efficiency at producing the desired THC effect using smaller amounts of the active ingredient as opposed to pill forms, this device has great potential for improving the therapeutic utility of THC”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporizer

It seems that the biggest danger associated with cannabis smoking is within ignited and therefore carbon associated with smoke.

Most users also report there being more efficiency with vapor. Since most cannabinoids are burned off and not ingested between inhalation. Also not all the bad cannabinoids are combusted leaving the user more energized after the initial come down off of the drug. There is also low odor when vaporizing compared to smoking.

What should I think about when purchasing my vaporizer?

Price. This is the single biggest issue when it comes to a unit. Spend to little and you could wind up with something that will make you unhappy a few months down the road. Spend too much and you could be wondering if you could have gotten a better deal. Generally the more you spend on a unit the better it will be. The ideal vaporizers will run between 200-400 dollars while the premiums can go for as little as 300-1000 dollars.

Functionality. Are you a single person who likes to toke alone? Then maybe a manual draw unit such as the Silver Surfer Vaporizer is more suited to you. Or maybe you have MS and maybe have one or two friends over at a time you might want to go for a herbal aire. Or maybe you’re a popular person or you do not have any fine momentum within your hands. Then a volcano vaporizer with the easy valve system seems right for you.

Research! This is absolutely essential. Buying a vaporizer is pretty much the stoner equivalent to buying a car. Some might absolutely love a Ford Focus while others might hate it. This is the goal of both myself and this forum. To provide education, and information to the cannabis or herb consumer. Please don’t just go into one head shop and decide what unit your going to buy within 10 minutes. This is a very important purchase that one should think through. Also some head shop owners are being greedy and adding 100-200 dollar mark ups.

Okay I’m Sold. But what about my countries power system?

This is probably one of the most trying obstacles facing the vaporizer market. While some manufactures tend to build units with different plugs and voltage capabilities others do not accommodate this. Or some products have dual voltage capabilities but do not manufacture your countries plug. For electrical and plug standards for your country please visit this site.


WARNING IF YOUR UNIT IS 120/220V DUAL DO NOT USE A VOLTAGE ADAPTER! AS THIS CAN CAUSE ELECTRICAL FIRES ONLY USE PLUG ADAPTERS!!!!!

Please contact the manufacture of the vaporizer your considering buying so you can get a good indication of product support and product compatibility.

Vaporizing in the future? Where are we going?

Vaporizing will indeed be the future of cannabis consumption. With the recent studies supporting the theory that the majority of the risks associated with cannabis can be minimized this will be the last nail in the coffin of cannabis prohibition. Also with the world wide restriction or tobacco smoking vapor lounge’s are popping up all over the place.

Currently the two biggest North American lounge’s I know of are Marc Emery’s CC HQ located on 307 West Hastings in Vancouver Canada. The second is one I frequent quite often. Vapor Central Located at 667 Younge Street Second Floor in the heart of downtown Toronto Canada
If you visit Amsterdam various coffee shops will have various models.

As for the units themselves they keep getting smaller and more portable. Most notably the VM3 pocket digital vaporizer. Some units now actually have remote controls on them as well. The next 5 years we will see major improvements in the vaporizing market. As technology grows so does our vapor devices.

thank you for the post. My husband just bought me a new iolite. This is the first and only vaporiser i have ever used. At first i didn't know if i was going to like it. But the more i use it the more i enjoy it. And i love that there is no smoke, you can't smell anything. It takes some getting used to and i will still medicate the good old fashion way,but it is for sure a part of my everyday life now. thanks again.

[GregS]

A hookah uses a piece of hot charcoal, suspended above the herb and flavorings, to include tobacco and hashish. When drawn on, the heat from the coal is drawn through the ingredients. Sometimes flavorings like molasses and spices are used to enhance flavor. That predates any other method I am aware of, and is real old school.

[TheFlyingBuddha]

i have the arizer extreme =). Can't say enough good stuff about it.

 

TFB