Do Vape Pens actually vape concentrate?

On any given occasion I would assume "hell yeah they do" but now I'm getting confused. I'm not well versed in this stuff, in fact I really don't know too much but I've been doing my best in learning the jargon. Anyways, I've been looking for a pen that does concentrates. I bought a really shitty vape pen the other day, and I ended up returning it because it's a POS. Today, I saw this really rad vape pen that was called "Bizarro" and the power button was the Bizarro emblem. My problem is this: when you want to vape concentrate, you have to put it right near the coil to heat it up, and the dude tells me that it just combusts the concentrate. The last one I returned was the same deal, except that one wasn't a glass bulb. So far, it seems like I need to apply the wax directly onto the heat source, but isn't that just going to lead to combustion? I'm confused, and I'm probably just a dumbass, but isn't the point supposed to be to vaporize? Am I just looking at crappy vapes or is this generally what needs to be done? I was initially planning on getting a Puffco Pro, but having it delivered to my house is a huge nono, so I've been traversing local shops to find a good vape. Sorry for my ignorance btw.

"Do vape pens sublimate, or do they combust errrl?"
"Depends how you use it."

The specific technique you describe (lay wax on the coil, gun the heat, inhale) leads to both combustion and vaporization. It does work, it will get you high. It is great for folks switching from bong rips, because they associate the thick smoke with "getting a good hit". It is not so great for folks switching from dab nails. It makes for messy clean-up, as burning oil sputters around the atomizer "bowl". Vape pens that use ceramic bowl inserts are easier to clean than others.

There is an alternative technique. All the vape pens on the market have some kind of wick inside the heating coil. The key is to have the wick soak up melted wax, before you vape in earnest. I hold a blob of wax (using a silicone-tipped too) against the coil, and pulse the power gently. Just enough to warm up the coils and wick. The errl melts and soaks into the wick. When you are ready to go, then gun the power and inhale. Any oil left on the outer surface of the coil may burn, but the oil in the wick will turn into vapor. It takes longer to load the wick this way, it is not as easy as just dropping a glob on top of the coil. The wick can only hold so much oil - less than the glob of wax you could otherwise just lay on top of the coil. If you are chasing flavor, this is the route to take.

Some vape pens are better than others, but even the best vape pen isn't all that great. No matter which pen you choose, you will still have to finesse your technique, and will be limited by the capacity of that wick.

I see Bizarro and POS on the same line in your post. Judging by the results of a quick search, I'd say they go together. Same goes for the Puffco, although I can actually find a site for that one. $80 and a 90 day warranty sounds very unappealing to me. I'd say stop trying to find a 'pen size' vape that's just an e-cig conversion and go for something larger that's getting some positive response from FC members.

max said:

I see Bizarro and POS on the same line in your post. Judging by the results of a quick search, I'd say they go together. Same goes for the Puffco, although I can actually find a site for that one. $80 and a 90 day warranty sounds very unappealing to me. I'd say stop trying to find a 'pen size' vape that's just an e-cig conversion and go for something larger that's getting some positive response from FC members.

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Something larger isn't really possible for my situation. That's why I've been trying to find a good, but not a completely unreasonable price for a vape pen for concentrates (looking to spend under $130.) Also, by POS I meant piece of shit; it was cloupor cloutank m3.

superboyprime said:

by POS I meant piece of shit

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And I'd put a vape pen that a search can't find (Bizarro) in exactly that category.

superboyprime said:

Am I just looking at crappy vapes or is this generally what needs to be done?

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Price isn't the problem. It's the small size that you're looking for.

@superboyprime try looking in the E-cig Based portable thread. There are several options within your budget.

If you are looking for a pen type vape, The Ghost by Dr. Dabber might be something you'd like. It's the only one I have, besides the Dry Vape (which is a G-pen clone). Unfortunately, the atty's are a bit pricey at $17.95/ea or $59.95/for 5. The Ghost kit complete (with a spare atty) goes for $84.95. He's having a spring break sale now and offering 20% off of that.

I have to agree that most of the pen type vapes are pretty much the same. Some offer better quality and components. Some offer more accessories. If you are serious about your concentrates and a bit tech oriented, you might want to try out the W-9 products. They have a huge following and some of their pieces are on the smaller side.

superboyprime said:

Something larger isn't really possible for my situation. ...looking to spend under $130.

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Can you tell me more about why the vape pen form-factor is ideal for you? Because of the way it fits in your pocket? I like that stealth factor. But it is only stealthy in my pocket and when I'm hitting it.

Loading it with wax is conspicuous, and I need "work space" to do it. Like a flat table. You can't load wax on a pen sitting on your lap while riding a train. You can't step off the street and load a dab while taking shelter in a doorway.

It turned out, for me, that in the long term vape pens were not stealthy for me. Stealthy moments, yes, but anytime I had enough privacy to load my wick I also had privacy to hit any kind of device that I could stow in my pocket.

$130 is a good budget - but you can end up spending it all on a vape pen kit and a few atomizers. The power supply will last you a year if you are lucky.

If I were you I would check out divine tribes pens. He is coming out with the donut atomizers which are basically the same as the vb2 just in pen form

I don't feel like my oil is combusting in my globe-type atty, could be wrong though. I load a small amount on either side of the coil, stuck to the sides of the bowl, then lightly pulse to let it melt down. I think it's vaping off before it touches the coil...

A friend of mine has a Dabbler, and I love it- but for less cash, and purportedly better chamber design, I like the way the Eleven is looking right now (both by Vaporbrothers)
The cool thing with the Vaporbrothers pens is they generally run at lower power than most, and as a result they take a little longer to get glowing hot, which gives you a good margin for error if you're gunning it and ripping it like a champ- or if you want to take it a little slower and pulse the battery
Other than that, I had him [my friend] check out the W9 and Dr. Dabber products as well; they seem to stir lots of acclaim all over, not just FC

The W9 Omicron-Lite is cheap and very effective. Combined with a titanium KISS, and it is all you will need for concentrates. + W9 has a great rep here on FC, and they provide great service.

As mentioned above, with most wick style atomizers, melt the concentrate and let it soak into the wick. Don't just throw a glob in, unless you want to waste your material and make a mess.

Grim Chiclets said:

A friend of mine has a Dabbler, and I love it- but for less cash, and purportedly better chamber design, I like the way the Eleven is looking right now (both by Vaporbrothers)
The cool thing with the Vaporbrothers pens is they generally run at lower power than most, and as a result they take a little longer to get glowing hot, which gives you a good margin for error if you're gunning it and ripping it like a champ- or if you want to take it a little slower and pulse the battery
Other than that, I had him [my friend] check out the W9 and Dr. Dabber products as well; they seem to stir lots of acclaim all over, not just FC

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My eleven cart and Viper get hot super quick, much quicker than my old Kiss Carts with a ceramic. I can just give a 3 quick 1-1.5 second pulses and any higher it normally makes it taste too heated for my taste. That hole in the cone is a bit tricky though with speeds, I normally don't plug the hole.

I am using my O-Phos and iStick on lowest setting.

Of course if the temperature of the coil is too hot it'll burn the oil. Get a variable voltage/wattage battery to keep the temperature a bit more under your control. You can also get something like a ceramic donut atomizer which will basically give you low-temp dabs through a pen vape.

If you want clean, solid flavour you should definitely avoid wick/coil atomizers and look into a ceramic donut atomizer such as the Source Terra by Source Vapes or a Hercules SR-74x from W9Tech which also uses a ceramic heater.