Are "weed pens" vapes?

[Housebroken]

I'm new to the vape world -- and loving my Herborizer! I've seen people pull out these "pen" like devices that I think are filled with some kind of oil/liquid. When I mention vaping flower, they look at me as if I'm from another planet. Are these pen things considered "vapes," and what exactly is it they're ingesting?

 

[AJS]

Hello friend, welcome!
I have an Herborizer as well and absolutely love it.

They are vaping cannabis concentrate. It is technically vaping, as there is no combustion happening. Most of them don't know what vaping flower is though

It's more commonly THC Distillate. It's essentially everything stripped out of the oil except for THC. They then re-add in terpenes for flavoring, either BDT (Botanical Derived Terpenes, such as Lavender) or CDT - Cannabis Derived Terpenes. CDT more typically preferred.

There are also Rosin carts where instead of distillate, it's Rosin.
As well as all other types of concentrates now adays, but Distillate the most readily available.

It's never as good as a flower experience though imo

 

[Hackerman]

I run into this same situation all the time. I have come to separate them when I talk. Vaping is a cartridge with a liquid of assorted makings. Like AJS said, mostly rosin or distillate and some carrier liquid. That is what the people around here call vaping.

I call what I/we do, Vaporizing. Then, I give a brief, "It's not a liquid cartridge. It's plain, dry herb, being vaporized by heat."

And, it really is surprising how many people have no clue. I thought everyone knew what vaporizing was. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't dry herb vaping around before the carts?

 

[AJS]

I run into this same situation all the time. I have come to separate them when I talk. Vaping is a cartridge with a liquid of assorted makings. Like AJS said, mostly rosin or distillate and some carrier liquid. That is what the people around here call vaping.

I call what I/we do, Vaporizing. Then, I give a brief, "It's not a liquid cartridge. It's plain, dry herb, being vaporized by heat."

And, it really is surprising how many people have no clue. I thought everyone knew what vaporizing was. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't dry herb vaping around before the carts?

Long before carts.

I usually say “I vape flower” as the difference.

 

[Shit Snacks]

Yeah and then the people who are aware of herbal vaping think that they are all bad and it doesn't get them high, because they tried one or two bad ones and presumed they are all the same, not understanding the science

 

[darbarikanada]

I think we're seeing economic forces at work. vaping flower mostly appeals to people either trying to avoid lung trauma or seeking better flavor - or both (there's a small group of 'early adopters' too). oil pen users are more interested in convenience, the ability to get high discreetly, don't particularly care about the health risks of combustion or getting the best possible flavor - they're the juul users of cannabis. I suspect discretion and convenience will prove to be much more popular in the long run.

I'm amazed at how discrete the pens are, have lost count of how many times I've gotten a huge whiff of cannabis at a club but can't see where it's coming from.

cool beans!

 

[invertedisdead]

The truth is the oils in any half decent cartridge are the same oils you're vaporizing with your herb vape.

For some reason the dry herb community likes to think they are vaping "weed" and not "oil" and thus are doing something healthier or cleaner. As more and more concentrate fans have left the forum this viewpoint becomes more predominant. There used to be a lot of concentrate vapes on this forum. Also, vaporized herb produces a high THC concentrate (you can tell its concentrated by the unvaporized AVB pile left over)

The reason for the mainstream unfamiliarity is despite dry herb vaporizers being around for much longer, concentrate cartridges are worlds more popular. They might sell more cartridges in a single day than dry herb vapes sold in a year. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but it wouldn't really surprise me either. The truth is people actually do enjoy vaping and that's why these devices are popular.

 

[Shit Snacks]

For some reason the dry herb community likes to think they are vaping "weed" and not "oil" and thus are doing something healthier or cleaner

If you have good weed that is clean then it is going to be healthier or cleaner than mysterious oil that is cut with other mysterious things... I just don't know how to verify my weed necessarily either lol

 

[WisePenny]

I'm in a legalized and regulated (recreational and medical) area, so I'm sure that makes a difference. However, while there are still an abundance of distillate carts with botanical terpenes added in, I have no problem finding full spectrum carts with nothing added.
Though I am primarily dry herb, these have their uses, advanatages for certain times/places. And they taste flavourful and clean, generally.

 

[Vaporware]

It’s still mostly distillate here, and I think that flower is clearly superior to distillate. I do think that rosin carts are very similar to flower, but I still don’t have access to any (that I know of) that are pure ceramic so I am still concerned about metals and other contaminants from the wicks and stuff.

I am also really bothered by the idea of millions and eventually billions of these things being produced, used once and thrown into landfills. We need better portable ways of consuming rosin without the waste.

For now I plan to continue mainly using flower, edibles and the occasional rosin cart for situations where the smallest size and most discreet use is needed.

To the OP’s question though, yes both are vaporizers but we need to distinguish between them and let people know that vaporizing flower is a great option as long as you don’t do it with a weak, plastic tasting piece of garbage.

 

[Housebroken]

Wow, thanks all for the thoughtful and detailed responses! And here I was ready to be all high and mighty on my "I vape flower" horse, but it sounds like the concentrates/distillates are (mostly) above board. I much prefer knowledge to high-fallutin' ignorance, so thanks again. Getting off my "high" horse now, and I'll no longer prejudge these people for simply using a more popular and accessible method of "vaping."