First time vaping...no visible vapor?

This will probably make more sense if I give some background first.

I started smoking weed again last week now that it is legal in my state, but I was weed free for about 10-12 years due to working for companies that made peeing in a cup a requirement. I am a major lightweight now as a result. I can load a piece of bud about the size of a small raisin into a pipe and get a nice high that lasts several hours.

Yesterday I got my first vaporizer and took it for a test spin. I loaded up my normal raisin sized piece and followed the instructions for my vaporizer. My first few hits i could taste the bud but when I exhaled I couldn't see anything. I opened it up and found that the weed was brown on the bottom but mostly green so I crumbled it up and tried three more hits. On the first 2 hits I tasted the bud but again there was nothing visible on the exhale. The third hit I let it heat longer and took a much longer draw, This time I actually coughed and the exhale looked like what I get from a solid pipe hit. When I looked at the pot afterward it was mostly brown, but had a fair amount of blackening which is making me think it had started to burn instead of just vaporizing.

At this point I was also thinking the one visible exhalation was my only good hit, so I crumbled and loaded up a second raisin size piece. This one I went back to following the instructions for my vaporizer and drew slowly, holding for 5-10 seconds after each draw and was back to no visible vapor on any exhalations, though I could taste the weed on each hit. After about 5 hits the weed was brown with almost no blackening.

At this point I realized I was pretty high. A few minutes after that I realized I was a lot higher than I intended to be. This brings me to my questions.

Is it normal when vaping to not exhale anything visible?
Is the smoke that I exhaled on the one hit just an indicator that I actually burned my bud instead of just vaping it on that hit?
Is it possible that I only got the one good hit and got way more baked from that 1 vape hit than I do from a comparable pipe hit?
Were all of my invisible hits "good hits" and I just overdid it because I wasn't getting the visual cues I normally use to to measure how much I have ingested?

What vaporizer device are you using?

215z said:

What vaporizer device are you using?

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I am using a Budypen platinum.

I have seen that video already, but I can't tell if she is showing how with an empty pen, or if she just had invisible exhale like I did.

Paging @DJ Colonel Corn i believe he is our resident expert on these type of "dry herb atomizers".

If your herb turns brown it's getting vaporized and if you're inhaling during the process then you should feel the effects. If you're moving from smoking to vaping though, there may be adjustment period as far as feeling the difference between a smoke high and a vapor high, especially if you're using a small capacity vape that produces small hits. Vapor produces a cleaner high and you'll find that smoke byproducts can produce an effect but really have nothing to do with cannabis compounds. If vaporizing is your choice, vs. smoking, just keep at it. People are converting every day.

As far as visible vapor on exhale, keep in mind that vapor is less visible than smoke, and you should exhale into good lighting (streaming sunlight, where you can easily see dust particles in the air, is the best) if you want to see the vapor using a small capacity model.

Pen vapes are the ugly stepchild of the vape world. You may have to upgrade to a model that was actually designed as an mj vaporizer before you're satisfied.

Hi,
unit is similar to my first one. You can experiment--hold button too long and it combusts, hold it too little and not much happens.
Now with a really good vaporizer, I never see vapor exhaled. But I'm a lightweight too and load about 1/4 the volume of a raisin to get medicated.
Those that do bigger loads can see vapor but I never do.

Cool, thanks for all the replies. I quit smoking cigarettes a long time ago too, so I definitely would rather vape instead of smoking. I just was worried that I would get too stoned every time I vape, when I usually just want a mildly toasted high rather than being completely obliterated.

I have to partake outside because my wife doesn't want the house to smell like weed though and in the evening after my son is in bed. It sounds like I just wasn't able to see the vapor on most of my hits due to a combination of poor lighting, and small hits. Luckily I have a low tolerance, so I am hoping that going forward I can use the same or smaller amounts of weed to get the same effect that I got with a pipe. I think I just need to get used to the feel of a vape hit so that I don't over-bake again.

part of the problem is the vape itself .try a different vape solo, or firefly both have small bowls and work very well , for bigger loads try a pax

Hey! The reason why you are not be getting any effects might be due to your vaporizer. When I began vaping I started with the pen vapes. The extraction was horrible! I had to go through at least .3 in order to become medicated. Try a different Vape like the Arizer Solo, MFLB, Pinnacle pro, or the pax. Vaporizing is an awesome experience that is beneficial over combustion in terms of health and efficiency. From first hand experience, it is definitely worth the extra money. You taste more, feel more, and experience more!

215z said:

Paging @DJ Colonel Corn i believe he is our resident expert on these type of "dry herb atomizers".

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Heh Heh ... thanks @215z , for the big recommendation !
I too have found the pen vaporizers rather insufficient at vaping dry herbs.
However sounds like you have one that works for you.
As others have said, after time you'll probably want to invest about 150-200 on an Arizer Solo or another vape system, take yer pick..... for dry herbs its a wonderful unit.
Good luck and welcome to the world of VAPING !

Atroxus said:

I am using a Budypen platinum.

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While you might succeed in finding a technique that works with that device, in the long run you will be better off with something other than a pen-style vapourizer. Most of them don't work at all, and the ones that do don't work well.

Good vapour isn't necessarily visible. People coming from smoking like visible clouds, but as you discovered they're not necessary to get stoned. From your description, the reason you got visible vapour on one hit is that you used a bit more heat. That's why your herb got a little blacker on the bottom. You didn't reach combustion or you would have known it. You would have gotten an immediately identifiable nasty taste and the combustion would probably have continued after you stopped heating it.

I am actually enjoying my Budy Pen so far. Since I have a wife who doesn't like the smell of pot, and a son who we don't want to educate about drugs just yet, having something discreet that I can use on our patio without getting stink-eye from the neighbors is awesome. I also got the 3 in one because as soon as I finish my current supply of bud, I want to try out oils and waxes. Any idea if waxes/oils vape better in a pen-style than herb does?

Atroxus said:

I am actually enjoying my Budy Pen so far. Since I have a wife who doesn't like the smell of pot, and a son who we don't want to educate about drugs just yet, having something discreet that I can use on our patio without getting stink-eye from the neighbors is awesome. I also got the 3 in one because as soon as I finish my current supply of bud, I want to try out oils and waxes. Any idea if waxes/oils vape better in a pen-style than herb does?

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I can't say for that particular pen, but that type of device usually does work better with concentrates.

make sure to remove that spring if used for anything but flowers (spring will get stuck to the coil and get pulled out) use very small amounts right on coil you need to burn it off each time.

buddy pen is like a rebranded atmos ecig juice coils ,dry herb coil and chamber and what looks like a pan ? for dabs (couldn't find a good pic) the battery should be a 510 if you check out a vapor store you might find better tips that will fit the battery omicron tips should fit .

Cool. Going to be a while till I go through my current stash though. A friend and I went halves on a quarter oz about 3 weeks ago and I don't think either of us have gone through a gram yet. We are both major light weights. I am getting better with my budy pen now too. Takes about half of what I was loading in my pipe to get the same high now.